By Vishani Ragobeer

PERSONS experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) are now willing to be tested since the option of home-isolation for asymptomatic cases has been instituted, according to Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony.

The Health Minister, in a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, explained that when institutional isolation was the only measure used, many persons with typical signs of COVID-19, including fever and respiratory distress, refrained from informing the health authorities. This, he said, was due to the fear of being placed into those isolation facilities.

“By giving people an option (for home-isolation), I think we have removed that fear and that is why we have seen a lot more people coming out and trying to get their tests if they feel they need to get the test and I think that has helped us to save many lives,” Dr. Anthony posited.

At a recent A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) press conference, Member of Parliament Dr. Karen Cummings criticised the government’s decision to allow asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to be isolated in their homes.

She contended that persons could not safely isolate themselves due to the size of households. She also lamented that through home-isolation, the government was not supplying the infected persons with masks, vitamin supplements, sanitisers and other necessary services that they would have received while in institutional isolation.

However, Minister Anthony said that risk assessments are done before the asymptomatic patients- who constitute the majority of Guyana’s positive cases- are allowed to isolate in their homes. Through this assessment, the Ministry ensures that the facilities in someone’s home are conducive for home-isolation and persons are guided on what specific precautions they ought to take.

“In fact, a lot of people prefer to be at home than to be in an institution but there’s that importance we stress – that you have to isolate or you’re going to infect everybody else,” he said.

Dr Anthony also reminded that persons are monitored via telephone; through this medium, COVID-19 officials go through the list of signs and symptoms with the persons to learn whether the patient is experiencing any of those. If persons are experiencing any of the signs or symptoms, they are advised on the measures which will be taken.

RECKLESS

The Minister acknowledged that the surveillance system is not a perfect one; he is aware that there are improvements which can be made. A challenge, however, is the flouting of the isolation guidelines by persons who are aware that they have COVID-19.

There have been few reported cases where persons, who were allowed to home isolate, disregarded the guidelines and safety protocols and instead, were socialising as per normal- both in their homes and even out in the wider public space.

“Once we learn that they are not complying with those regulations then we go, we pick them up and we bring them into one of the institutional isolation facilities,” the Minister highlighted.