WHILE the country’s hospital capacity has been boosted to handle an increase in COVID-19 patients, in most of the current cases, the symptoms are associated with the upper respiratory tract which does not require hospitalisation.

This is according to Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, who during a recent COVID-19 update stated that the Omicron variant is different from the other variants previously found in Guyana.

“The Delta variant and the other previous variants…we were seeing more cases where people get sick. Their lungs get infected and they have various problems affecting their lungs which mean they have difficulty breathing because their lungs are not working as it should because of the infection that is happening there,” he said.

Dr. Anthony indicated that with the Omicron variant most of the symptoms are associated with the upper respiratory tract which includes the nose, mouth and throat.

He said that in this situation, there is no need for a large number of ventilators as was the case previously. However, if needed there are ventilators and other pieces of equipment available to treat COVID-19 patients.

“Nevertheless, we do have the capacity and if persons are getting sick and they need to be on a ventilator, we have [an] adequate amount of ventilators for such persons,” Dr. Anthony said. To this end, he stated that at the main hospital at Liliendaal, about 52 patients can be accommodated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and each bed has a ventilator assigned.

Further in each region, he indicated that there are at least three beds with ventilators and all other necessary things if persons require such treatment.