– field hospital to provide additional capacity

THE second floor of the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, has been outfitted with pipe oxygen to provide additional support, in the event of further COVID-19 cases requiring hospitalisation.

“Right now, we have 151 cases in hospital, and of that 151 we have 97 at Ocean View. I think 36 persons (are) in ICU. Our capacity at Ocean View is 204 patients. So, we haven’t gotten to full capacity as yet; we’re hoping that we don’t have to be there. But nevertheless, we have been making some additional preparations if we have to go to that full capacity.

“Right now, at the second floor of the Ocean View hospital, we have just put in pipe oxygen. Before on that floor, we used 1000-pound cylinder oxygen, so, we’re changing that… That work is going to be completed this week… So, we’re preparing for if we have a surge in more cases or more people needing hospitalisation that we can probably have the full capacity of 204 persons there,” Minister Anthony said.

The Health Minister also said that the field hospital donated by the Government and people of Qatar earlier this year, will also be set up if the need arises. The field hospital was donated to aid Guyana’s fight against COVID-19.

Dr. Anthony related: “We have started those preparations to put the field hospital in place; with that, we would have an additional capacity for about 60 persons.

“…while we have been treating COVID patients at each of these regional hospitals, we have been looking at how we are going to expand the capacity at each of these facilities and the teams that would be managing patients in each of these facilities. We have done an inspection at West Demerara Hospital and we know that we can increase from its current state to manage close to 40 patients over there.”

Minister Anthony said the same is being done at the Suddie Public Hospital in Region Two; the Lethem Regional Hospital in Region Nine, where an Intensive Care component was recently added, and at the Mahaicony and Mabaruma hospitals.

Minister Anthony said at Port Kaituma, there is also an isolation facility and an inpatient facility where over 20 patients are currently housed, some needing hospitalisation, and others resting as part of their isolation.

“So, we have been adding capacity, building our capacity; hopefully we wouldn’t need all of it. But we are preparing nevertheless,” Dr. Anthony said.

As it is now, the safest way of avoiding the severe symptoms of COVID-19 is by taking a vaccine.

To date, 350,182 or 68.3 per cent of the country’s adult population have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 180,922 persons or 35.3 per cent of the country’s adult population have been fully immunised.

Meanwhile, in the 12 to 17-year-old category, 21,299 or 29.2 per cent of that age group have received either the first or a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.  (DPI)