-Chinese medical brigade, Cuba, engaged so far

By Navendra Seoraj
AS the fight against the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues, Guyana will be looking to strengthen its human resource capacity with foreign assistance, which has since been requested by local health authorities.

In building its capacity to respond to the disease, the country has requested the assistance of eight different skillsets of doctors and paramedics
“A list was compiled by GPHC (Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation) and it was shared with me and we are adding it to the list of human resource needs…this was prepared, assuming we were to get 20,000 cases…that is, however, being worked on by the Minister of Public Health,” said Resident Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), Dr. William Adu-Krow, during a virtual press briefing, on Friday.
Guyana Chronicle had reported that GPHC wrote to the Ministry of Public Health, requesting the aid of foreign medical specialists to assist in the delivery of care, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This call for assistance came at a time when a study, done by PAHO, found that Guyana could have as many as 20,000 COVID-19 cases in a month.

The Ministry of Public Health, using the PAHO/WHO method, had initially projected 1,400 cases, but a study done by PAHO/WHO found that with every case, another 2.5 persons will be affected within five days, if there is no partial lockdown and if persons do not exercise effective social distancing.

“That 2.5, if I infect you, you infect 2.5 others and they infect another 2.5. Within a month we will get over 20,000; it is a simple model but it makes a lot of sense,” said Resident PAHO/WHO Representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow, in a News Room report.

Dr. Adu-Krow had said if this should happen, five per cent or 1000 of those infected, would need intensive care and Guyana simply does not have the capacity for this.

This study was, however, done prior to government’s implementation of additional measures, including a curfew. On Friday, Dr. Adu-Krow, with the use of graphs, showed journalists how the projected cases moved from reaching 20,000 in a month to just under 1,000 in a month, with the implementation of the containment measures. If these measures were to, however, be relaxed, Guyana could see about 5,000 cases in no time.

Additionally, the past projection of one person infecting 2.5 persons was also revised to one person infecting about 1.5 persons. With the possibility that there could still be a spike in cases, GPHC’s Director of Medical and Professional Services, Dr. Fawcett Jeffery, had said: “We are looking for persons who are specialised, like intensivists and nurses who are trained in intensive care…The main task of GPHC, at this time, would be to manage patients who are critically ill.”

He said the hospital was asked to furnish the public health ministry with a list of the types of specialised persons who would be needed to aid in the fight against COVID-19. The list has since been provided to the ministry.

Guyana’s Caribbean counterpart, Barbados, had welcomed about 100 Cuban medical practitioners to its shores, as it continues to combat COVID-19. Other countries, such as Italy, which has been devastated by the disease, had also received assistance from Cuban doctors and health workers.

Dr. Adu-Krow has since confirmed that Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence reached out to Cuba and the Chinese Medical Brigade for assistance. In addition to a request for medical personnel, the PAHO/WHO representative said Guyana has also made a request for 100 ventilators and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), from WHO.

“We are coordinating our response with all partners in the area of procurement, then we will decide who is buying what…PAHO will then make a final decision on what to support Guyana with,” said Dr. Adu-Krow. Asked if the decision by the United States of America (USA) to cut funding to the WHO will affect the organisation’s work, the PAHO representative said any fund cut affects their work. And in this case, it would affect their ability to distribute the amount of test kits and other equipment they would like to provide to this region.

Locally, there are over 60 cases of COVID-19 and six deaths. And, with no approved treatment or cure, there is no assurance that persons will survive after contracting the disease. In the absence of approved medication, governments and authorities across the world have employed a number of preventative measures to contain the spread of the disease.

According to WHO, COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the newly-discovered coronavirus. WHO said most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illnesses 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.

The 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 is spread.

“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),” the WHO has advised.