By Navendra Seoraj
GUYANA continues to record a consistent rise in the number of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, with 31 new cases being recorded within the past 24 hours.
With no end to the pandemic in sight, authorities have ‘ramped up’ testing in order to identify the ‘hotspot’ areas and contain the spread of the disease.

Authorities have so far tested 7,373 persons, with 6,313 being negative and 1,060 positive. Of the positive cases, 523 have recovered and 31 persons have lost their lives, while the remaining cases are being monitored by authorities.
According to recent statistics, 80 persons are in institutional isolation, 387 are in home isolation and eight persons are being treated in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The steady rise has caused panic in some cases, but there are persons who remain nonchalant and unbothered by the spread. Authorities, however, continue to adjust control measures in order to mitigate the spread of the disease.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr. Karen Gordon-Boyle, is of the opinion that some measure of control can be placed on the rapid spread of the virus through contact tracing.

Dr. Boyle, during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), explained that contact tracing is used by health departments to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
She added that contact tracing involves identifying persons who would have come into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.

But for the process to be successful, she said, persons who would have tested positive for the virus must be cooperative with health officials in detailing their movements, and who they would have been in contact with prior to testing positive for COVID-19.

She warned that if positive cases are not forthcoming with information, the lives and well-being of many others may be at risk.
“Anything that prevents you from identifying all contacts, communicating to them their risk and isolating those persons means you are going to be less effective in controlling the epidemic,” Dr. Boyle said.
She further explained that once the contacts have been identified, they are quarantined, and at the end of a 14-day (two-week) period, they are tested for the virus.

While the process may appear to be simple, Dr. Boyle noted that it is not without its challenges, as the fear and sheer anxiety surrounding the virus, as well as the nonchalant and dishonest attitude of many individuals have made it difficult for the relevant health officials to do their jobs effectively.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly-discovered coronavirus. Most people, who fall sick with COVID-19, will experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without special treatment. There are, however, vulnerable groups such as persons with underlying conditions and elderly patients, who may develop severe forms of the disease.