COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Guyana, public hospital preparing for worst

(Stabroek News) Seven new positive cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) were recorded by the Ministry of Public Health in Guyana on Wednesday, as the country’s major public hospital “prepares for the worst”.

The disclosure about the number of cases was made by Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud in a live update by the Ministry Wednesday afternoon. He said the number of positive cases as of April 15th stood at 55, including six deaths. He disclosed that 250 persons have been tested so far for the virus noting that 195 persons tested negative for the virus while 8 persons have so far recovered.

It was noted that some 25 persons were currently in the ministry’s quarantine facility while 41 persons have been placed in the isolation facilities. Of the positive cases recorded, he disclosed that four had traveled to Guyana while the other 51 contracted the virus through local transmission. He added that over 80 per cent of the COVID-19 cases in the country were from Region Four.

Persaud iterated that persons with underlying conditions were more at risk for contracting the virus. Such persons, he said, would be those with chronic lung diseases such as asthma, bronchitis along with other conditions associated with smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and diseases associated with immunity-compromising conditions.

Story via Stabroek News