IN Guyana, coronavirus cases have reportedly reached 2,772 with deaths totalling 80. Those who are reported to have recovered have increased to 1,564.
Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony has disclosed that the health ministry is revamping the country’s COVID-19 response, and that one of his immediate actions is to implement a new structure for the government’s national response to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Minister Anthony further revealed that an assessment was done on the national response of the previous government and there were several issues identified that need to be addressed.
The minister explained: “When I asked what are the plans? how we are doing and what we are doing and so forth, I found different agencies had different plans; nothing was in sync, they were not coordinated” ; he added: “One of the things that we will have to look at is how we are going to bring a new structure that is more responsive to the COVID-19 pandemic and to make sure that there is participation from various ministries and sectors who want to get involved with the response to the epidemic and the country as a whole.”
Additionally, as part of revamping the national response, Dr. Anthony said they will also be looking to ensure that frontline workers in the health sector are adequately supplied with personal prodective equipment as these were found to be in limited supply.

Testing kits are also being procured for more widespread testing to be conducted.
Subsequently, Prime Minister Mark Phillips met with officials to establish an inter-agency task force aimed at strengthening government’s response to COVID-19, especially in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.

The government’s priority is to sensitise citizens in those and other areas on measures for countering the spread of the disease, while increasing testing and tracing through medical interventions.

These regions have recorded increasing COVID-19 cases, hence they received primary attention, also because they share borders with Brazil, which has the second-largest number of COVID-19 deaths in the world, surpassing more than 100,000; and Venezuela, which currently has more than 25,000 deaths.
Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions, such as heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms, which include, inter alia, a range from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear two-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19: fever or chills; cough; shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; fatigue; muscle or body aches; headache; new loss of taste or smell; sore throat; congestion or runny nose; nausea or vomiting; diarrhea; persistent pain or pressure in the chest; new confusion; inability to wake or stay awake; bluish lips or face.
This list does not include all possible symptoms, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updates the list as researchers learn more about COVID-19.

It is recommended that suspected cases seek prompt emergency medical attention because COVID-19 is a deadly disease.
Caring for yourself or others include the following, but these are not exhaustive: avoiding people who are sick; trying to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth; washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, and disinfectingb the objects and surfaces you touch.
According to the World Health Organisation, coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that are common among animals. In rare cases, they are what scientists call zoonotic, meaning they can be transmitted from animals to humans, according to data provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The WHO warns that for those with a weakened immune system, the elderly and the very young, there’s a chance the virus could cause a lower and much more serious respiratory tract illness such as pneumonia or bronchitis.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health is working on a vaccine against the new virus, but it will be months until clinical trials get underway and more than a year until it becomes available.