Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, on Monday, assured that authorities are monitoring the recent spikes of COVID-19, which were reported in a few communities.
Over at Linden in Region 10 (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) there have been spikes in Wismar and Amelia’s Ward. He confirmed that those that tested positive have been placed in isolation. They have taken it one step further to conduct testing in neighboring mining communities.
“We had a number of teams that went into different areas in the mining districts and we have done both antigen and PCR testing on those persons. And we have seen a number of positives based on the test that we would have done there,” Dr Anthony said.
The same has been reported in Moraikobai in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice). A team was sent into these locations to test persons, and the samples were taken to be analysed.
“We have seen a number of cases. We had 29 positive cases in Moraikobai. This is a new area. We’ll continue to monitor it and of course, we have been giving advice to residents in that community,” Dr Anthony shared.
With regards to the spike in Bartica, cases are down to 34. Last week, there were over 60 positives but discharges were facilitated since then.
Previous hotspots in Guyana since the virus was detected include Georgetown, Moruca and Mabaruma in Region One (Barima-Waini); Aranka, Bartica and Sulphur Rose in Region Seven; Itabac and Mahdia in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni); and Lethem in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) among others.
Meanwhile, since the airports reopened, some 20 positives were reported upon arrival. The Eugene F Correia and Cheddi Jagan International Airports would have recommenced operations earlier in August.
“When they did the test at the airport, they were able to find about 20 persons who were positive. We will continue to monitor and make sure we have this system in place because the mere fact that we’re finding positives shows that this system is working. We know that with the holiday season, there might be an increase in traffic with people wanting to come home. Again, we want to tell people to be vigilant and to ensure that they abide by the rules that we have,” the senior official highlighted.
Eureka Medical Laboratories (EML) has partnered with the Health Ministry and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) to facilitate PCR testing.
