THE escalation of the coronavirus pandemic is having a toll on families, with seemingly no end in sight of the deadly virus, which seems to be increasing in ferocity, especially in third-world nations. Guyana is no exception.
Prior to the advent of the PPP/C Government, there were scant governmental interventions and support for the afflicted, in particular; and the wider society, which had been forced into a lockdown, in general.

The pressing needs of Guyanese from every community, for protection from infection by the COVID-19 virus; as well as nutritional sustenance – the latter need of which ensued from lack of employment and job opportunities, seriously exacerbated by the deadly pandemic, saw President-elect, Dr. Irfaan Ali, mobilising teams countrywide in mask and food distribution exercises. This was appreciated by even coalition-supporting communities, especially in light of the fact that the de facto coalition government was ignoring their pressing needs, while simultaneously illegally expending billions from already-depleted national coffers on an unnecessary vote re-count and fruitless legal challenges on nebulous and execrable charges of unsubstantiated allegations of electoral fraud committed by the PPP/C, which party both SOPs and SORs had proven to have won elections 2020.

With worldwide infections having surpassed 22,522,168, fatalities exceeding 789,036; while those recovered are numbering 15,198,263 and active cases are listed at 6,534,869, with currently infected patients numbering 6,472,833 (99 per cent) – those in mild condition, Guyana’s below a million population has been hard-hit, with a Worldometer update listing current figures at 737 cases, with 25 deaths and 365 recovered.

A 32-year-old miner has been recorded as Guyana‘s 25th COVID-19 related death. A release from the Ministry of Health revealed that the patient, a resident of Region One, was working in a mining community in the Cuyuni River, Region Seven, when he became ill with suspected malaria. However, after he was rushed to the Bartica Hospital, tests discovered that he had contracted the dreaded coronavirus, to which he succumbed, making his the third coronavirus-related death within three days.
Guyana has received US$1 million from the Government of India for COVID-19 Response. This allocation of US$1M is from the “Quick Impact Development Project” that is being implemented jointly by the Ministry of Health, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) to support Guyana’s response to COVID-19.

Additionally, HE President Irfaan Ali, in an address to the nation yesterday afternoon, announced that government is in the process of securing US$60M to fund various aspects of its response to the deadly pandemic.

These funds, informed President Ali, are being sourced from various international development partners, including the World Bank, IDB and the Islamic Development Bank. There has also been rapid response assistance from bilateral partners.

According to the President, the government has consulted with stakeholders nationwide to address the COVID-19 pandemic in a holistic manner.
He enumerated a menu of measures planned to bring relief to families and businesses; stating that the PPP/C administration would take holistic approaches to problem-resolution that would benefit all Guyanese, in every sphere of life.

Apart from COVID-19 responses, President Ali promises to facilitate and implement “… measures to recreate jobs, ensure income goes back to the people, and improve spending in the economy, whilst at the same time securing our population with the implementation of good health scenarios.”

He continued, “I assure you that your concerns will be dealt with, that the concerns of the businesses community, parents, teachers, healthcare personnel…we will find the balance in addressing this issue… ensure a multifaceted aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic is addressed by delivering relief to a strained health system and workers, increasing testing throughout Guyana, delivering relief measures and delivering education to our children.”

Among the relief initiative government plans, is through the health authorities, cutting testing time – from nine hours to two hours, simultaneously testing backlog cases, with the imminent arrival, within two weeks, of 29 ventilators.

It is also good to learn that the Ocean View facility will be converted into an isolation centre to house COVID-19 patients.