Elderly woman dies from COVID-19
Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence
Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence

– had returned from the U.S.; family members remain in quarantine

By Navendra Seoraj
OSA Collins, a 78-year-old resident of New Amsterdam, has succumbed after contracting the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the number of local COVID-19-related deaths to three.

This was confirmed by Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence, who said Collins passed on Wednesday afternoon while in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

“The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Ministry of Public Health extend deep condolences to the family, relatives and friends of Ms. Collins. Ms. Collins was considered an ‘imported case’ as she had recently travelled to the United States of America,” said Minister Lawrence in a press statement.

Considering the passing of Collins and two others, all Guyanese were urged to continue practising social distancing and thorough hand-washing among other measures to help in containing the spread of COVID-19 in Guyana.

Minister Lawrence early Wednesday had announced that Guyana has 19 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of whom Ms. Collins was one.

Reliable sources have since confirmed that four of Collins’ family members are in quarantine and are being monitored by health authorities.
Guyana had confirmed its first imported case of COVID-19 in Georgetown on Wednesday, March 11, 2020.

That patient, a 52-year-old Guyanese woman who had travelled from the United States of America to Guyana on March 5, 2020, was presented to the public health system on March 10. She died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation on March 11. Since then, four of the woman’s relatives and 13 others have tested positive for the virus.

The cases were from three regions, with Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) having 17 cases and one probable case; and Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) having one each.

Health authorities have so far tested 70 persons with the results being 19 positives, 50 negatives and one inconclusive.

In addition to Collins and the 52-year-old woman, Jermaine Ifill, an emergency medical technician (EMT) who was one of two persons hospitalised in the Coronavirus ICU, succumbed on Tuesday to the dreaded COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact globally. As of April, the number of confirmed cases in 210 countries and territories stood at 750,890 with the number of deaths at 36,405.

In the region of the Americas, the total number of confirmed cases has increased from 142,081 to 163,014. The number of deaths in this Region has also moved from 2,457 to 2,836.

On Saturday, President David Granger said a “cavalier approach” in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic could ‘seriously’ impair government’s efforts to combat the virus, especially now that the cases have moved from five to eight persons.

Such an approach from the public could result in consequences which will be devastating for the entire population, said the President.

“Guyanese, I urge you to continue to support all medical professionals: doctors, nurses, and other caregivers. I urge you also to practise social distancing in public places and to avoid crowds, ceremonies, including funerals, and large gatherings,” said President Granger.

He also advised persons to remain calm and implement all guidelines pertaining to personal hygiene and infection prevention and control.

Based on consultations, President Granger had issued directions under the Public Health Ordinance (Cap.145) and international standards to prevent and control the spread of this disease.

Speaking about those instructions, the President said: “I authorised the Minister of Public Health to take all measures considered necessary to restrain, segregate and isolate persons suffering from the disease and, or who may be likely to be suffering from the disease.”
He believes that the public ‘must’ adhere to infection-prevention and control measures, as personal conduct is the single most important element in preventing the spread of this deadly disease.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.

WHO said most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment.  Older persons and those with underlying medical problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

WHO believes that the best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well informed about the virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads.

“Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based rub frequently and not touching your face. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practise respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow),” WHO advised.

(Minutes before press time, this publication learnt that a fourth person has died from the coronavirus. More details in tomorrow’s issue).

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