With a resident of the Palms Geriatric Home officially the latest COVID-19 fatality and at least one other suspected to be a positive case, staff yesterday said they did not have adequate protective gear even as efforts continued to test and track those who may have come into contact with them.
There is particular concern about the spread of the virus at the facility, which houses seniors who are more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 and advancing to severe stages of the virus.
The Public Health Ministry reported the fatality on Tuesday but no details of the victim were released. However, Stabroek News was able to confirm that the deceased was a male resident of the Palms and a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital prior to his death. One new COVID-19 case was announced yesterday and this newspaper was told that it was another resident of the facility, although the ministry released no details.
Some members of staff of the facility stood outside of the compound yesterday due to their concerns about the lack of protective gear.
Already, some staffers have been placed in quarantine.
Some nurses, who spoke on the condition of anony-mity due to fear of being victimised, told Stabroek News that following the COVID-19 outbreak, they have been forced to wear one N-95 face mask for three to five days. It was noted that the nurses were told to spray the masks and reuse them, however that practice is said to be unhygienic. “Friday last they gave us one N95 mask and tell us to wash and wear it for a week and they would give us another on Friday and we must sign for it,” said one staff member.
They also complained that the facility was without water for a few days and nurses and cleaning staff were unable to carry out their duties as Guyana Water Inc. had been carrying out works in the vicinity. Staff members stated that they need protective gears and cleaning products at the facility even as they voiced their concerns about their safety and that of their families as most have children at home.
A photograph which was widely circulated on Facebook, showed a number of nurses standing in the compound of the palms. The photo was captioned “Staff at the palms standing out because they have no protective gears to work with”.
When contacted, Direc-tor of Social Services at the Ministry of Social Protection Whentworth Tanner said a number of safety measures were put in place prior to the death of the resident. He specified that on March 30th, they had suspended all visitation to the facility and began screening all nurses and staff members before they began their shifts. Residents were also temperature tested while the sanitisation of the wards and common areas was stepped up.
Subsequent to the resident’s death, Tanner stated, a team from the Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) visited the institution, “They would have done primary and secondary contact tracing in addition to that persons were identified to be quarantined,” he said while adding that the HEOC had done testing for the persons who were in direct contact with the patient that died.
“The person was bedridden, which really limits the contact that that person would have had with other residents at the palms and other persons,” Tanner said while adding that they are currently working along with the HEOC to do surveillance and monitor the situation at the facility. They are also providing additional training for staff at the Palms.
“We’ve had before a space that was identified as an isolation space for persons who may test positive and a quarantine space for persons who may be suspected cases,” he added.
When asked about the concern of having Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at the Palms to ensure the safety of the staff, Tanner said that the facility has always had masks and gloves for the staff and even isolation gowns and shoe covers. He added that now that they have reported a case from the facility, that equipment was being distributed to the staff, “especially to those persons who are working on that ward where that person passed away.”
He went on to say, “The amount of protective equipment needed is dependent on the risk that is involved.” As a result, prior to recording the case or having suspected cases, he said, staff were only provided with masks and gloves at that time.
