Though two elderly men of Potarinau, South Rupununi are believed to have died of the COVID-19 virus last week, this cannot now be confirmed as a sample taken from one can no longer be tested and the other was not tested at all.
The two men have been identified as 68-year-old George Ignace and 81-year-old Fredrick Matthews. Matthews was the first of the two fatalities. He passed away on Wednesday night. A relative of his had tested positive for COVID-19 a week prior and was taken to the Lethem Regional Hospital. Ignace passed away on Thursday morning and was said to have been in contact a person who had tested positive for COVID-19.
According to the South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) Communications Officer, Immaculata Casimero, a sample was taken from Ignace but his sample was put aside awaiting other persons to be tested so that all samples could be sent to the National Public Health Reference Laboratory for testing. However by the time other persons were tested, the 24-hour viability period for the sample had passed and Ignace’s result would have been inconclusive. Ignace was not retested nor was Matthews tested due to the limited amount of test kits, it was stated. Relatives, she noted, said that the men were showing all the symptoms of the virus prior to their deaths. They were both said to have had underlying conditions.
A number of other persons are believed to have died from COVID-19 here but for various reasons this could not be confirmed.
Aside from Potarinau, there are three satellite villages: Katuur, Baitoon and Shiriri. Katuur is the closest village to the Brazilian border, some fifteen miles away. Casimero said that one person said to have crossed the border is a relative of one of the men. She noted also that these settlements share the same farming ground. Up to Thursday, four persons from Potarinau were confirmed to have contracted the virus.
Casimero noted that relatives of the person who travelled from Brazil tried to keep it a secret but it was eventually found out by the toshao who contacted the hospital and requested that the task force test persons in the village. The task force returns to the village every Thursday to test persons suspected to be carrying the virus. Potarinau is situated an hour and a half from the hospital in Lethem. The communications officer further noted that despite warnings for persons to adhere to social distancing, they still end up working together on the farms.
Katuur was over the past week affected by floods. The senior councillor of this satellite village, Brian Melville was said to have communicated to the Toshao in Potarinau, Carl Albert requesting that the task force visit the area but owing to the condition there, they were unable to do so. Medical personnel it was said tried getting to the settlement but got stuck on the way there. Boats, Casimero said, are the only option left to get into Katuur when the roads are flooded out.
A number of CSEC students and teachers of Sand Creek staying at a dormitory were also confirmed to be in quarantine following their contact with a local villager, another person said to have returned from Brazil. It could not be determined how many of the students and teachers were in quarantine. The villages of Sand Creek, Potarinau and Shulinab are all said to have cases of the virus. South Rupununi consists of 21 communities amounting to approximately 9,000 people.
Region Nine up to Sunday had seen 18 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 13 of which are active cases. Four persons have since recovered while one person who tested positive for the virus died. The deceased is Guyana’s 17th COVID-19 fatality Donna Ambrose-Greaves who was laid to rest on July 14.
The Regional Health Emergency Operating Committee (RHEOC) information officer, Allison Camacho stated that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases remains at 18. She noted that a number of samples were sent to National Reference Lab for testing on Friday, which they are currently awaiting results for.
