With Wakapoa identified as a COVID-19 hotspot, a team from the Suddie Public Hospital in Region Two will be dispatched to the Amerindian community today to assess what help can be provided.
Region Two Health Officer Dr. Ranjeev Singh told this newspaper that the region’s Rapid Response Team will visit the area to offer assistance to the Wakapoa Village Council and residents of the community.
Wakapoa, which is located in the Lower Pomeroon in Region Two, was not affected up to July but since then cases have been detected and 59 persons are currently infected. This figure was revealed during Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony’s COVID-19 update yesterday.
When Stabroek News made contact with Toshao Lloyd Perreira, he said several teachers and other staff members of the Wakapoa Secondary School had tested positive. Perreira said that many persons in the community have been falling ill and he had requested that the COVID-19 Regional Task Force visit his community but that had not happened.
He said the Wakapoa Village Council was forced to close all churches and stop sporting activities within the community to bring the situation under control.
Boat operators are only allowed to work from Mondays to Friday. These measures were immediately taken to bring the cases under control. All persons who were tested positive are currently in home isolation and are taken care of by relatives. Nevertheless, Perreira called on the Regional Health Services for support.
He also explained that many persons in the village want to take the COVID-19 vaccine but cannot afford to journey to Charity to get it. He described the travelling as costly.
Meanwhile, Regional Health Officer Dr. Ranjeev Singh said that based on the visit a team will return to ensure persons in the community get the COVID-19 vaccine. He said that the community had a high resistance to the vaccine in the past.
Dr Singh said a team had already visited the area but persons had refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine that was being offered.
Anthony said 367,645 (or 71.7 per cent) of eligible adults have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 223,787 (43.5 percent) of them are fully vaccinated.
As it relates to vaccination in children ages 12 to 18, 25,787 (or 35.4 per cent) have received their first dose, and 15,196 (20.8 per cent) are fully vaccinated.
Hotspots
Apart from the Wakapoa community, other hotspots identified include Tuschen (94 cases), La Parfaite Harmonie (62 cases), Crane (57 cases), Vreed-en-Hoop (54 cases), Zeelugt (53 cases), Pouderoyen (52 cases), Cornelia Ida (52 cases), Hague (47 cases), Parika (47 cases) and La Grange (42 cases) in Region Three; Diamond (90 cases), Grove (73 cases), Herstelling (32 cases), Soesdyke (31 cases), and Eccles (30 cases), on the East Bank of Demerara; Mon Repos (32 cases), Victoria (31 cases), and Non-Pareil (27 cases) on the East Coast of Demerara; Sophia (76 cases), Kitty (45 cases), Campbellville (39 cases), Lodge (37 cases), South Ruimveldt (35 cases), Alberttown (32 cases) and West Ruimveldt (31 cases) in Georgetown; and New Amsterdam, Region Six (28 cases) Bartica, Region Seven (79 cases). Aishalton, Region Nine (20 cases), Wismar (62 cases) and Amelia’s Ward (32 cases), in Region Ten.
Anthony added that over 122 patients were hospitalised in various hospital across Guyana with 83 at the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, including 29 in the Intensive Care Unit.
