GUYANA continues to record a consistent rise in the number of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases with recent statistics showing that the country recorded 47 new cases within the past 24 hours.

Cases continue to rise with every passing day and while it might be alarming, authorities believe that those cases could have gone “under the radar” had it not been for an increase in the number of tests being done.
Health authorities have so far tested 7,654 persons, with 6,514 being negative and 1,140 positive. Of the positive cases, 616 persons have recovered and 32 persons have lost their lives. The remaining cases include 102 persons in institutional isolation, 380 in home isolation and 10 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.
While a lot is expected of authorities, there is also a role for other sections of society, and it is to this end that President Irfaan Ali recently met with a wide cross-section of stakeholders, including the private sector, small political parties and the media to garner views on how the government’s response to COVID-19 can be more effective.

The President pledged to continue engaging all stakeholders as his government moves towards formalising a concerted strategy to take the country forward. The President also informed the meeting that sub-committees will be established to tackle pressing COVID-19 related issues head on.