Guyana has recorded its seventh novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) death.
A release from the Department of Public Information last night quoted Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence as confirming the death of the unidentified patient.
While the identity of the person was withheld pending the notification of his family, Sunday Stabroek has learnt that the man was one of five persons who were in the Intensive Care Unit at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
His passing came hours after the Ministry indicated that there had been no increase in the number of positive cases following the testing of 22 more persons suspected of having COVID-19.
According to Guyana’s latest surveillance report, released last evening, the number of confirmed cases remain at 63, following the testing of a total of 305 persons.
The report said 48 persons remained in institutional isolation, 14 in institutional quarantine, 5 in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit and nine have recovered.
In an update on Friday, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence had reported six more confirmed cases, representing the second largest increase in the number of positive cases since the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in Guyana on March 11.It prompted her to call for persons to stay at home.
After Guyana recorded its first cases, the Ministry had announced that it will be doing a daily COVID-19 update. These updates have been streamed online by the ministry.
However, the ministry’s Public Relations Officer Terrence Esseboom yesterday said that there would be no live update over the weekend. When asked why by Sunday Stabroek, Esseboom responded, “We need rest too, you know”.
He added that Lawrence was also attending a meeting out of Georgetown. “As a matter of fact, the Minister is not in town. She is attending a meeting in Region 10,” Esseboom stated.
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Guyana was recorded on March 11th. Patient Zero was identified as Ratna Baboolall. She travelled from the United States and Guyana on March 5th and admitted herself to the GPHC on March 10th, where she later died. Her cause of death was attributed to hypertension and diabetes, however, it was later confirmed that she had tested positive for COVID-19 and died as a result of that disease. The five others who have since died include 77-year-old Colonel John Lewis, 77-year-old Osa Collins, 59-year-old Shadrach Stoll, 38-year-old Jermaine Ifill and 38-year-old Deryck Jaisingh.
