Three win battle against COVID-19

–active cases now down to 73, one of them 24 hrs old

THREE persons have won the battle against the deadly Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the total number of local recoveries to 70.
The new recoveries were recorded by health authorities in the latest statistics, which were released on Sunday.

While three persons were “let off the hook”, the country recorded one new case over the past 24 hours. Health authorities found the new case after testing 14 persons between Saturday and Sunday.
Some 1,618 persons have been tested to date, and according to the results of those tests, 1,465 proved negative, and 153 positive.
Of those tested positive, 12 have died, and of the 73 listed as active, 71 are in institutional isolation, while the remaining two are being treated at the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Health authorities are also placing emphasis on the four hinterland regions, especially now that three of them regions have recorded cases of COVID-19.

COVID-19 EPICENTRE
The need for surveillance in those regions is also important, because Guyana’s South American neighbour, Brazil, is now rated as the COVID-19 epicentre of the Americas.

In reporting on the situation in Regions One (Barima-Waini) and Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), two hinterland locations, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud said that Moruca, which is located in Region One, had its first case on May 21, 2020, but has since recorded nine to date, with one death. Region Seven has also gone from one case on May 10, 2020 to 15 to date.

“As I highlighted, Region One has six per cent, and Region Seven has 10 per cent of positively-confirmed cases… “In the breakdown by age group and sex, the younger males among the 25-29 age group, are predominantly affected in Region One, while in Region Seven, it is the 30-39 age group,” Dr. Persaid during his regular virtual COVID-19 update on Friday.

The CMO said that health authorities are aware that young men in Region Seven go into “the mines” in order to provide for themselves and families, but it does not mean that it should be done at the detriment of those persons around them.

As such, his is encouraging those persons who are into mining to practise social distancing as much as possible, as well as wearing the mandatory face mask and sanitising and washing their hands regularly.

“To those who are going home, you must look to the family that you are going home to, and all the people you interact with on the way. Life is a treasure that we all need to appreciate, so don’t let us throw it away recklessly; let us collectively be considerate of each other,” Dr. Persaud advised.

“It is sad when you hear of the unnecessary pressures that persons who have recovered face: We stigmatise them; we shun them to the point of even scorning them and their loved ones. Imagine that the respect and honour that are due to a leader in your community, who would have served wholeheartedly, are not given,” he added.

He assured the nation that the public health ministry is not using these messages to bash men, but just as a means of sensitising and pleading with men to be more responsible, and put the health of the nation first.

COVID-19 remains a serious issue, not just here in Guyana, but globally as well. And, according to global statistics, there are over 5.8 million cases of COVID-19, with over 362,000 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 preventive measures to contain the spread of the disease.

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