…President says Guyana getting better in fight against disease

As of Saturday some 45 persons have been tested positive for COVID-19 with the number of deaths remaining at six, the Ministry of Public Health has said.

And President David Granger said Guyana is better equipping itself to combat the deadly coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which to date has claimed the lives of over 107,000 persons globally. “We are becoming better prepared to provide proper personal protective equipment for the medical staff doing the testing and treatment tests and the materials and equipment such as beds, respirators and ventilators for those who become critically afflicted. The capacity for infrastructural and institutional accommodation is being expanded,” the Head of State announced on Saturday in an address to the nation.

In its daily update, the Health Ministry revealed that to date, 193 persons were tested for COVID-19. There are currently 31 persons in institutional isolation and 13 in institutional quarantine.

Meanwhile, President Granger in an address to the nation Saturday evening said Guyana is in line to receive approximately 30,000 masks, a number of ventilators and other medical equipment from the People’s Republic of China as it ups its fight against COVID-19. Added to that, the country has turned to the Government of India for financial assistance. According to President Granger, the fight requires unprecedented expenditure and outlay of resources to enable identification and testing, isolation, protection and treatment. These added resources will complement systems already in place to suppress the spread of the virus and provide appropriate medical attention.

Saturday (April 11) marked one month since COVID-19 claimed the life of the first Guyanese here. The woman – 52-year-old Ratna Baboolall — had returned to Guyana from the United States days before she succumbed. Since then, the number of recorded cases and deaths have increased. “Six Guyanese have now died, 45 have been confirmed as having been infected, 31 are in isolation, 13 are in quarantine and eight persons have since recovered,” the President said as he took stock of the situation. The Head of State said he was pleased to have learnt of the recovery of the eight persons who had initially tested positive for the disease. “I wish the other infected persons a speedy and complete recovery,” he said.

COVID-19, President Granger said, is a “pernicious” killer which has launched a vicious attack on mankind globally, regardless of race, region, religion, or economic status and Guyana has not been spared.

Though the government through the Ministry of Public Health is in consultation with the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), has initiated a number of measures to safeguard the well-being of its people, the President acknowledged that the journey ahead remains a difficult one.

While persons who become ill should have access to the best care in the shortest possible time to ensure their recovery and rehabilitation, President Granger said understandably, the national focus is on those who have been infected and afflicted.

As the country wages war against the deadly disease, the Head of State said the efforts of the country’s frontline workers, in particular those within the medical field, should not go unnoticed.

“I ask you, however, to think tenderly of our public health professionals and service providers, that is to say, our doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and all other supporting staff – medical and non-medical – who are providing the required care for those in distress. Public health practitioners are on the front line of protecting those stricken by the disease. They have been working tirelessly through this very difficult situation to provide quality healthcare to those who have been infected and afflicted. Everyone in the public health system has played a vital part in the fight against this disease,” he said.

He said while the public has been instructed to ‘stay at home’, in physical isolation, the country’s health professionals are required to leave their homes and families, daily, to work in the health centres, hospitals quarantine stations and other institutions as they do their part to combat the disease.

“Every day they report for duty to work in conditions that could be dangerous to their own health and safety. Let us all think about these public servants and employees in private institutions who are putting their lives on the line. We all should ponder their personal, physical, psychological and emotional needs and that, day after day, they are pressed beyond measure to deal with so much human suffering. We should not take their service for granted,” he said.

The President called on all Guyanese to continue to support the country’s frontline workers as they execute their duties. “They are the sinews of our health services. We must protect and respect them. We are eternally grateful for their exertions during these trying times. Their dedication is valued,” he posited.

The President was however keen on noting that the public health system and medical staff cannot overcome this disease on their own; everyone must play their part. As such, he challenged the people of Guyana to adhere to the emergency measures which have been promulgated by the Ministry of Public Health and published by the government in the Official Gazette.

“I iterate the need for all citizens, in all parts of the country, to adopt the advisories, especially: avoidance of leaving home; avoidance of gatherings of more than five persons; avoidance of visiting sick persons; avoidance of touching other persons; avoidance of coughing and sneezing in the presence of other persons; avoidance of touching parts of your own faces; and adoption of the habit of washing of hands frequently and thoroughly in water,” the President urged.
He also used the platform to encourage Guyanese to join him in prayers from the comfort of their homes at this sacred Easter festival for the safety and well-being of the unsung doctors and nurses and other health workers.

To the families who have lost relatives to COVID-19, the President and Government of Guyana extend sincere sympathy. Globally, there are more than 1.7M recorded cases of COVID-19.