— CEO of North Rupununi District Development Board

OF the many reasons for the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Region Nine, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB), Ivor Marslow, believes that a key factor is the cultural belief that ‘bush medicine’ will eliminate the virus.

While there are numerous clinical trials ongoing worldwide, there has been no widespread vaccination for the virus and health experts say that this may not be possible until mid 2021. As such, treatment is aimed at alleviating the symptoms of the virus. However, persons with pre-existing comorbidities, are at greater risk of becoming severely affected.

In Guyana, as authorities work to ensure that all are sensitised about the preventative measures, the terms ‘vaccine’ and ‘cure’ are often used interchangeably by locals looking forward to an end to the global health crisis.

“A lot of people feel that they know a cure for the virus and even though you tell them, there’s no cure for this disease, they say ‘when I get it I’m going to drink X’ and I’ve noticed that some influential persons have begun to say so as well but none of those methods, or none of those things have been tested or proven, so we can’t say it’s a cure. I think there’s a danger in us saying ‘that person was cured because they took X’,” Marslow pointed out in an interview with the newspaper on Friday.

The use of ‘bush medicine’ in Guyana is nothing strange and is even used widely in the Caribbean. The leaves, barks and plants used have proven medicinal properties but have not been certified as able to shield persons from the coronavirus. More so, COVID-19 patients with a history of hypertension, obesity, chronic lung disease, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease have the worst prognosis and most often end up with deteriorating outcomes such as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and pneumonia.

As of September 3, 2020, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) recorded 243 cases of the virus. To put this into perspective, on May 11, 2020 the region recorded its first COVID-19 case; four months later, it is the region with the second highest number of cases after the Region Four, which has 509 cases.

“Eventhough we’re in the midst of the pandemic, I don’t think people actually look at the numbers to see how many Region Nine has… but it only takes one person,” the CEO said.

SENSITISATION

Leaders like Marslow are working to sensitise residents in the region and to advise health officials on where they should dedicate greater focus based on the challenges.

The NRDDB, where he works, is part of the North Rupununi District local Task Force which is also made up of health officials, the Community Development Officer (CDO), District Development Officer (DDO), representatives of the NRDDB, toshaos and the police.

It was announced in July that they would be setting up strategic health points across the region represented with health officials and law enforcement. Marslow said that, thus far, the initiative has proven useful and the Region has received additional support.

“In the last couple of weeks, we’ve had a lot more support. The police have been patrolling, there are less people on the road, the shop owners are being very careful, people have put extra precaution and a lot of the stores have put up barriers. They are closing on time so people have to plan very well how they spend their day,” he said.

When it comes to the conduct of business, he acknowledged that the COVID-19 restrictions have made it difficult for persons but noted that everyone must still learn to balance the value of doing business against the value their life and that of others. He said that many have turned to farming and kitchen gardening to make a livelihood.

However, leaders within community groups and regional bodies must still manage their own affairs while attending to challenges such as affordable access to sanitation supplies and illegal border crossing.

There are some pensioners living close to the Brazil border who are now financially challenged by the shutdown because they usually collect pension from Brazil.

“[One of the things we consider is] how do we deal with that because they need that money to survive,” he said.

The NRDDB CEO finds it difficult to prioritise the pandemic-related needs of the region but recommended the donation of more sanitisation supplies for those who cannot afford it. He also thanked the current administration for its increase in staff sent to region which is assisting with the detection of the virus.