— health authorities trying to stay ahead of cases in Region Nine

THERE are currently 44 active COVID-19 cases in the Waramadong Village located in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), and as such, local health authorities are still monitoring the spike in cases there, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony said.

During his daily COVID-19 update with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Dr Anthony highlighted that a medical team has been in the village, monitoring and handling the cases.

Importantly, however, he noted that the team would travel to other villages in the Mazaruni to check for COVID-19 and monitor the situation.

“This is to ensure that we’re not missing any cases in nearby villages where persons can be active as well,” Dr Anthony explained.

BRAZIL CONCERNS

Beyond monitoring Waramadong and other areas of interest, where an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases has been detected, the Health Minister also highlighted that efforts are being made to constantly monitor Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

Due to its proximity to Brazil, where there is an outbreak of COVID-19 cases and the emergence of a new variant (or strain) of the virus, and the porous borders between the two countries, this region has been an area of concern.

In January, health authorities were alerted to the new COVID-19 variant, or strain, discovered in Brazil. Since then, local authorities have restricted travel between the two countries.

The land border between the two countries, the Takutu Bridge, has been closed since March, 2020. Limited travel is allowed on Thursdays where goods are brought to Guyana or taken across to Brazil, and this is reportedly supervised by the authority of both countries. Flights between the two countries are currently restricted.

“We have established a system to ensure that we are constantly checking that we are not missing any cases,” Dr Anthony related while explaining that not very many cases have been detected in the region.

Nevertheless, Regional Chairman of Region Nine, Brian Allicock, told this newspaper that residents are concerned about the surge in cases in Brazil and the new variant, given its close proximity to Brazil and the illegal crossings occurring.