-Regions One, Four and Seven heavily impacted by the disease

GUYANA has gone 24 hours without a new case of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), but the country still has 69 active cases, which are being monitored by health authorities.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, said health authorities have so far conducted 2,048 tests, of which 1,865 were negative and 183 were positive. But, the 183 cases have since been reduced to the 69 active cases, after 102 persons recovered and 12 persons died.

Males and the general adult population between ages 20-29 years old, continue to account for majority of the COVID-19 cases.

Health authorities here continue to work towards strengthening the healthcare system to respond to COVID-19 on a long-term basis. The potential and existing activities are part of a plan to have a comprehensive COVID-19 health network, whereby patients across the country’s 10 administrative regions will be able to access these services.

Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) is still the epicentre of the disease, and there are a number of communities outside of Georgetown which have recorded cases.

Among communities on the East Coast Demerara (ECD) where cases have been recorded are: Atlantic Gardens, Friendship, Golden Grove, Good Hope, Lusignan, Plaisance, and Strathspey, while among those on the East Bank Demerara (EBD) are: Diamond, Grove, Land of Canaan, Providence, and Timehri.

“I wish to remind you that we are at a much higher risk because COVID-19 is rampant in our bordering countries and we have not seen a reduction but a constant increase in the number of positive cases,” said Dr. Persaud in a virtual COVID-19 update, on Friday.
Regions One (Barima-Waini), Four and Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) are the regions which have been most impacted by the disease.

“The mining community is now one of the most vulnerable groups for the spread of this disease…Residents in Region Seven, I wish to make a special appeal to you as the situation in your community is of grave concern to the ministry,” Dr. Persaud lamented.

The Cuyuni -Mazaruni Region notably Aranka, has the second highest number of confirmed cases; it is a mining community which means that there is continuous movement in and out of the area, making it extremely vulnerable for the disease to spread.

The CMO warned that unless residents in this area wish to see an alarming spike in the number of positive cases and even deaths, they need to act responsibly.
“Once you are positive you must go to an isolation facility which must be manned by the relevant and competent health workers. The Ministry is relying on you to play your part,” said Dr. Persaud.

On a national level, the country is approaching another weekend and for many if not, as is customary, it will be a weekend of grand celebration as a way of showing appreciation to fathers and expectant fathers.

“I’m sure your burning question is how can you celebrate and not meet in groups of over five, or how can you celebrate wearing a mask? Those are relevant questions, but you have had the opportunity to acquire new skills and there are many platforms available for celebrating without being there in person.

“We do urge you to utilize these platforms, because this is surely one way to ensure that you remain COVID free and are alive next year to celebrate once more. It is one of the ways that we can try to keep another father alive to provide for his children,” Dr. Persaud advised.

As everyone is by now aware, COVID-19 remains a serious issue, not just here in Guyana, but globally as well, and, according to global statistics, there are 8.2 million cases of COVID-19, with over 445,000 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.