Public health officials say tests results which will determine whether there is a case of coronavirus in Guyana will become available tonight.
Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence made this announcement during an emergency press conference moments ago, where she assured that the public will be kept updated on this matter.
A 52-year-old woman was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) at around 17:00hrs on Tuesday. She died at around 08:00hrs today. The woman was diabetic and hypertensive.
Officials say the woman had displayed flu-like symptoms.
She recently travelled to Guyana from New York, where there is an outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.
However, local authorities say she would have arrived in Guyana before March 9, i.e., before New York confirmed its first case of the virus.
Additionally, authorities explained that the woman’s family could not confirm whether she was in contact with someone who was diagnosed with the virus.
While the cause of the woman’s death is currently unknown, tests are being conducted to determine if she had the coronavirus.
Minister Lawrence told reporters that those tests results should be available this evening; she said it would take about eight hours for the results to become available.
Meanwhile, Lawrence also assured that the GPHC’s Accident and Emergency Department is opened to the public.
