AN average of about six persons per day, who believe they may have been exposed to the coronavirus, are utilising the screening/sample-collecting centre established at the Herstelling Health Centre on the East Bank of Demerara (ECD).

On Wednesday, Guyana Chronicle visited the location to determine its progress and met up with Supervising General Medical Officer (GMO) for the East Bank corridor, Dr. Joanna Sealey.

Sealey said that all persons who visit in relation to the virus are being screened to determine whether they have symptoms of the virus and whether they may have come into contact with a high-risk person or area through travels.

When this newspaper showed up, the medical team had already conducted four tests for the virus inclusive of two non-Guyanese nationals.

Meanwhile, a woman and her child were seen nearby being assisted in answering a string of questions, a part of three questionnaires. Should the individual meet the requirement for testing, the entire process takes about 20-30 minutes.
A separate and sealed off compartment has been constructed at the health centre just for COVID screening and testing. When a person enters, if he or she does not have a mask, they are provided with one. They are then asked to wash and sanitise their hands at a nearby sink.

The individual is then asked to take a seat at the waiting area where the chairs are set at a specific distance apart. There are two triage areas where medical workers are seated at tables where they go through a list of specific questions with the individuals.
The medical workers are well covered in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and are equipped with medical devices such as thermometers and a blood pressure testing sphygmomanometer.

Situated some distance away, is the COVID testing machine, referred to as the ‘terminator’ in an area where swab tests are conducted. An oropharyngeal swab, cut to the length of the distance between a person’s nostrils and ear lobe, is inserted into the nostrils to collect a sample.

The person’s questionnaire with their responses is then sanitized and placed into a zip lock-like bag in a cooler with the sample kit to be transported to the Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC), and then over to the National Public Health Reference Laboratory. Within two days, individuals tested can know their results.

“If the [COVID-suspected] patient comes in walking and is a fairly stable patient, their information is kept and we’re in contact with them pending their results. However, if this patient is unable to walk to go home, let’s say they need oxygen therapy, we have a room available where they can be more comfortable and we make contact with the ambulance at another institution; they’re collected and there they can receive the care that is needed,” Dr. Sealey explained.

That day, the health centre experienced no critical cases. She said that persons are still learning about the presence of the screening/sample-collecting centre, and as the days go by, more persons may come in for screening.
There are 18 health facilities on the EBD inclusive of 11 health centres and seven health posts. On Wednesday, there were persons visiting from the Timehri International Airport and Grove.

Every time the medical worker in charge conducts a swab test, he or she changes gloves and the entire area inclusive of the triage, waiting area and COVID testing machine, are sprayed with a disinfectant liquid.

The screening/sample-collecting centres were established at Herstelling and on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) at Paradise as of Monday, April 27, 2020. The centre is open from 09:00hrs to 15:00hrs from Monday to Friday.

Meanwhile, routine visits to the health centre have drastically reduced on the request of the centre to only take on urgent matters. Persons have been asked to call in to state their concerns and a doctor or nurse will advise whether it is necessary to visit the centre.

“For the past month, the patients have been cut significantly at about 50 per cent. For chronic patients, what we try to do is give them their medication to last at least a month or three months, so that we don’t see them unless they have an issue to come and see the doctor,” the GMO said.