Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Karen Gordon-Boyle is making a special appeal to members of the mining community to get tested for COVID-19, if they are unwell or show signs and symptoms of the deadly disease.
Gordon- Boyle is further pleading with unwell miners to seek medical assistance before returning to their respective mining communities.
She is also asking that if any member of the mining camp has signs and symptoms of this disease that they are to be immediately isolated on camp.
Contact must then be made with the nearest health facility so that guidance is given. The medical professional has also advised persons against making self-diagnosis and treating themselves.
According to Gordon-Boyle, “As we expand our testing, please be reminded to make use of the Mobile Units that are available in some communities. For the weekend and the upcoming week, our focus for this activity will be in La Parfaite Harmony on the West Bank of Demerara and South Ruimveldt. We are pleased to announce that very soon residents of Region 3 and 6 will have similar facilities available for their residents. Please refer to our Facebook page for a detailed location on these units.”
The Doctor reminded that over 35% of Guyana’s COVID-19 cases were actually asymptomatic- had no typical signs or symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.
She, therefore, cautioned, “So even if your temperature is normal you have to continue to behave as if you have the virus. So you must continue to wear your mask, wash your hands frequently, maintain physical distancing, stay at home, and immediately report to the COVID-19 Hotline should any symptoms arise.”
She further reminded that temperature reading is part of the screening process for COVID-19.
The screening, she added, is done to identify persons with high body temperature. After this is done, such persons would then have to be further screened to determine if their fever is a result of being infected with COVID-19 or if it is due to some other medical condition.
“Your temperature may be normal but that does not mean that you are not infected with the Coronavirus,” she advised.
According to the latest World Health Organization Report (WHO) report, there are: – 4, 248,389 confirmed cases globally with 292,046 deaths
In the Region of the Americas, the number of cases is 1,819,553 with 109, 121 deaths.
Guyana, in relation to the transmission of the coronavirus has not improved.
There have been three new cases as of May 14, while the fatality rate from this disease remains very high.
The positive cases have grown significantly over the last two weeks as community transmission continues.
The number of positive cases has climbed to 116 and the number of COVID-19 deaths remains at 10.
Recovered cases are now 43. In total, 1065 persons have been tested with 949 being negative.
Five persons are in institutional quarantine and 63 in institutional isolation. In the COVID-19 ICU, there are three persons.
