A resident of Katuru in the South Central Rupununi district who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is currently being tracked by Region Nine officials after he escaped from health officials shortly after learning that he had the disease.
According to the Regional Executive Officer (REO) of the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region, Carl Parker, the patient escaped from his home in the village at Katuru earlier this week. He disclosed that the patient was informed of his results but escaped before a health team could’ve gone to isolate him.
He said that investigations revealed that the man has made his way to Tiger Pond village in the South Pakaraimas district. He noted that a team was sent to the village and if the patient is still there, he will be placed in isolation. Once the patient is found, he added, contact tracing will commence. Up to press time yesterday, the patient was still at large.
Parker stressed the need for persons to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines to avoid becoming infected. He noted that contact tracing has revealed that over 250 persons in the North and South Rupununi have been in contact with one or more of the persons who have tested positive for COVID-19 and the fact that this patient has escaped has made the jobs of the health officials very difficult considering that the patient traveled all the way from the South Rupununi to the South Pakaraimas and would’ve come into contact with many persons along the way
The patient is now the second person from the region who has escaped from health officials after learning his COVID-19 results. The first, Hamlett DaSilva, was Region Nine’s first case of COVID-19. Hours after being isolated as a result of testing positive for COVID-19, DaSilva escaped the isolation facility in Lethem. He was later located in Bom Fim, Brazil, where he spent the remainder of his isolation period. According to Parker, DaSilva has since recovered.
A release on Sunday from the Regional Health Officer,
Dr Niall Uthman, stated that the region had recorded a total of 18 confirmed cases, 13 of which are active even as three persons were expected to be discharged from the isolation facility. In this regard, Parker said, “We have three persons who are due to be released from the isolation by the end of this week. As far as I gathered all three are asymptomatic and even if their results return positive they will be released as per the new policy that is being implemented by the Ministry of Public Health.”
Seven out of nine cases which were recorded on Sunday were said to be from the region, three were said to be from Aranaputa with the remainder from Potarinau. Other indigenous communities that have recorded cases of COVID-19 include Miriwao, Sand Creek, and Quiko.
Speaking on the situation in the region, Regional Chairman Bryan Allicock noted that while they hope that the situation in the region does not worsen, some villages have returned to a complete lockdown. Allicock stated that persons within the region possibly contracted the virus from those who would have illegally entered the region.
When asked about the situation at Guyana’s border with Brazil, Allicock noted, “We were trying both ways, from our end and from the Federal [law enforcement in Brazil]… but it’s a situation that we really can’t control”. He acknowledged that the situation is uncontrollable because Guyana shares a lengthy border with that country which has seen an alarming rise in the number of COVID-19 cases. He mentioned that persons are using canoes and other means of transport to get into the villages illegally.
“We have set up some checkpoints but they are evading those also,” he complained. Additionally he lamented the lack of manpower as it relates to the police or military in the region.
He further mentioned that there is now a COVID-19 coordinator in the region who has been working to educate residents in various villages in the region who would then share information with others in their respective villages to spread the message on how persons can stay safe in the region.
The region has also recorded one death. Twenty-five-year-old Donna Greaves died on July 5 at the Georgetown Public Hospital. She was the 15th person to die as a result of the disease and was also, notably, the youngest person so far, to succumb to COVID-19.
