MORE than a week after recording a consistent increase in the number of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, Guyana has gone 24 hours without recording any, as the number of confirmed cases remain at 74.

According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Public Health, some 455 persons have been tested for the COVID-19 disease, and while 74 persons have tested positive, 381 have tested negative.

While the number of deaths due to COVID-19 remains at eight, five infected persons are fighting for their lives in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Additionally, 53 persons are in institutional isolation and 24 are in institutional quarantine, while 12 persons have recovered.

Globally, there are over 2.7 million cases of COVID-19, with approximately 200,000 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 medications, governments and authorities across the world have employed a number of preventative measures to contain the spread of the disease.

Locally, the government has extended its emergency measures to combat the dreaded disease, with the imposition of a 12-hour curfew on citizens. These emergency measures were taken pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) (b) of the directive issued by the President, in accordance with the Public Health Ordinance, Cap. 145, and published in the Official Gazette, Legal Supplement B, on March 16, 2020.

As the country wages war against the deadly disease, President David Granger is on record as saying that the efforts of the country’s frontline workers, in particular, those within the medical field, should not go unnoticed.

“I ask you… 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,” President Granger said, adding: “Public health practitioners are on the frontline 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.”

According to the WHO, COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the newly-discovered coronavirus.

The 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.