Dr. Derron Moonsammy, the doctor-in-charge at the Kumaka District Hospital in Moruca, is one of the over 70 persons to have contracted the coronavirus in the sub-district and is currently in isolation.
Dr. Moonsammy tested positive for the virus last week and has since been in isolation at the Amerindian Hostel in Moruca.
According to the man, being the doctor-in-charge, he saw many of the suspected COVID-19 cases before they were tested for the virus. Prior to being put into isolation, Dr. Moonsammy shared that he was first put in quarantine after he came into contact with 59-year-old Vincent Torres, who was the country’s 11th COVID-19 fatality. However, during the 14 days he was quarantined he tested negative for the virus twice.
He has tried to pinpoint just when he contracted the virus but the possibilities are many as he had seen a number of patients on a daily basis. The doctor noted that he would always have necessary protective equipment. He noted that his required hospital gown was extra-large but having run out of extra-large ones, he began using a size smaller, which could not properly cover him as it should have. On several occasions, his gown tore. There was also a shortage of N95 facemasks, which led to himself and other health care workers having to use the KN95 masks.
The N95 masks are US standards for respirator masks while the KN95 are the Chinese standards for masks. The KN95 mask, Moonsammy said, did not properly cover his face the way a N95 mask would.
He also recalls cutting his hand once while on duty which would have put him at risk of exposure. However, there is also the possibility that transmission occurred during one of the few times he engaged in conversations outside of work without wearing a facemask.
Recalling how he felt before testing positive for the virus, the doctor shared that he began experiencing pains at the back of his eyes along with pain in his left arm, which he had broken a while ago. In addition, he was getting a fever. At first Moonsammy thought that his dengue fever had returned as he had tested positive for that some time ago. A persistent cough followed. Most of the symptoms happened during the first few days of testing positive for COVID-19. However, nine days on, he suffers only a cough. The deceased Torres had tested positive for dengue fever before it was confirmed that he also had COVID-19.
Currently, an average of 20 persons are in isolation at the Amerindian Hostel. When asked whether the sites prepared were full, which led to them staying at the hostel, the doctor explained that the reason for their stay there was because the sites are located far from where they are. Though he did not disclose the kind of meals they are receiving, he did say that the meals are healthy and added that they have access to running water and electricity. He shares his room with two other patients. According to the doctor, other patients who are isolated in the building have minor symptoms like he does. The only patient he saw experiencing shortness of breath was one young lady who was asthmatic. However, her condition seems to be improving, he noted.
A doctor from Georgetown is currently working at the hospital, while another is expected to be in Moruca any day now.
The tests from persons who are tested for the virus are flown to the city to be tested at the National Reference Laboratory. Once the results are in, the information is relayed to doctors at Moruca over the phone. Moonsammy said that this process took just a day but of recently he has been noticing that results are taking as much as four days.
Despite Moruca being the first part of Guyana to lock down the communities as well as preparing for the worst by setting up several quarantine and isolation sites even before they learnt of their first resident to have contracted the virus, it comes as no surprise, the region has seen quite a surge in numbers of persons to have contracted the virus as many persons considered the arrival of the virus in the country to be a hoax created by politicians.
Added to that, the doctor explained that those who have been following the news have been comparing Guyana to Brazil and persons have come to the conclusion that because Guyana is not suffering from the effects of the virus the same way as Brazil, then the local reports cannot be true. While some believe the virus to be a hoax, others are sure of its truth and several of these persons are discriminating against those who have contracted the virus, shunning them and their families. The doctor said while he has had no personal experiences of this, several persons staying at the hostel with him have shared such stories.
Moonsammy believes that there are many more cases locally and posited that Guyana is not doing as many tests as it should.
