Guyana has now recorded an eighth death as a result of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and as the number of positive cases has increased to 73.
The disclosure of the most recent death was made by way of a statement last evening by Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence.
The casualty is 45-year-old Lennox Williams, who passed away on Friday around 2.45 pm. The statement said Williams was a patient in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and had suffered from other complications.
The others who have died are Ratna Baboolall, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Guyana; 77-year-old John Lewis, 77-year-old Osa Collins, 59-year-old Shadrach Stoll, 38-year-old Jermaine Ifill and 38-year-old Deryck Jaisingh and 49-year old Sydney Trellis called ‘Jacket’.
Earlier yesterday afternoon, during the Ministry of Public Health’s daily COVID-19 live update, Lawrence stated that three new cases were recorded since Thursday as results for 35 more persons became available.
Among them is a Region Ten resident. The Region later said that samples were taken from 10 persons during the week and were sent to George-town to be tested. The sample collection came as a result of the ramping up of contact tracing in the region.
No signs and symptoms
The person who tested positive was identified as a 40-year-old man, who was transported to a facility at Diamond, East Bank Demerara. According to the Regional Health Officer (RHO) Dr Pansy Armstrong, the regional investigation showed that the infection thus far in Region Ten is a cluster not community spread as the third victim had close relationship with the region’s first patient, who died recently.
Additionally, it was disclosed that the patient had no signs of COVID-19 and as a result the health officials are concerned within the region that there may be others who could have been infected with the disease and are also asymptomatic. “It’s interesting to see that the patient has not demonstrated no signs and symptoms of the disease but is tested positive, which is an indication that they may be others in similar position” the RHO was quoted as saying by the region in a statement.
Dr Armstrong further stated that the stigma around contracting the virus is real and that was shown when the man who tested positive expressed concern regarding his family as he opted to be taken to Georgetown on condition that the health authorities did not transport him from his home with the ambulance but from another location.
Meanwhile, Lawrence yesterday noted that 410 persons had so far been tested for the virus, with 337 of those tests coming back negative. Four persons, she said, remain in the COVID-19 ICU, while 17 are in institutional quarantine, with 54 in institutional isolation, she also said.
Additionally, Lawrence stated that the ministry’s Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit for the period of March 16 to April 24, 2020, has reported a total of 793 persons who have been on home quarantine. Some 596 persons have completed their 14 days quarantine and they were cleared by the health Emergency Operations Centre, while 197 persons continue to be monitored.
Mobile unit
The minister went on to say that a mobile unit will be launched at the East La Penitence Health Centre on Monday. She further stated that the COVID-19 facilities at Herstelling, East Bank Demerara and Para-dise, East Coast Demerara will begin to provide services to persons along those corridors and will operate from 9 am to 3 pm.
On Thursday, Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO) Dr. Karen Gordon-Boyle told Stabroek News that the ministry was mapping areas of interest as it considered mobile sample collection. Gordon-Boyle said authorities will fan out to collect samples for the virus and send them to the National Public Health Reference Laboratory, as the tests need to be conducted in a controlled environment, like the laboratory.
She further noted that based on data compiled, a lot of contacts of positive and suspected cases are in areas like the markets and supermarkets as those are places that are frequented by people at this time. “So, you might want to go to the markets and maybe swab a few of the vendors, [and] the supermarkets [and] swab a few of the persons working there,” she said.
