Twenty-six more persons were tested for COVID-19 yesterday and of that number, no new case of the virus was recorded.
The numbers were disclosed yesterday during the Ministry of Public Health’s daily COVID-19 update by Dr Ertenisa Hamilton, who stated that as of yesterday no new case was recorded even as the number of persons tested increased by 26,taking it to 1,295.
She said that so far, 47 persons have recovered while there are 68 persons in institutional isolation who account for the number of active cases at the time.
The number of deaths remains at 10 while three persons remain in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit.
Further Dr Hamilton reiterated her call for residents of Region Nine and also males in general to adhere to the public health safety measures put in place. She stated that neighbouring Brazil now has the third highest number of confirmed cases of the virus in the world after registering more than 250,000 cases, which makes the neighbouring region more vulnerable.
Dr Hamilton stated that many persons, mostly males, are acting as if they cannot contract the coronavirus disease and are not adhering to the precautionary measures, further putting their family members at risk. “COVID-19 is a silent killer and complying with the control measures is of paramount importance if your family is to be safe. She added that the male to female ratio is higher and currently stands at 71:54 while all of the ten deaths recorded are of men. “Further the age group under the lens is the 16 to 59 age group,” Dr Hamilton was quoted as saying.
Also during the update, Dr Oneka Scott from the Maternal and Child Health department informed that pregnant women are not at greater risk of contracting the virus than the general population. However she cautioned that during the later months of pregnancy mothers can be affected by respiratory infections and as such it is important to take all the precautions necessary to avoid transmission.
Dr Scott noted that expectant mothers should avoid contact with anyone displaying symptoms of COVID-19, work from home, avoid public transport when possible and to avoid both large and small gatherings particularly in closed or confined areas. Further she assured that it is safe for women to continue their regular checkups at the clinics as those facilities were not closed and are adhering to physical distancing guidelines. Additionally she mentioned that all birthing facilities are safe for delivery and changes have been made at those facilities to prevent the spread of the virus.
For those expectant mothers who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, Dr Scott assured that measures were in place for safe delivery and added that a special facility has been identified at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) where both mother and newborn will be cared for in a specially assigned space. How-ever she admitted that at this point in time the scientific community is uncertain whether the mother can pass on the virus to her baby.
