Seventy-eight COVID-19 tests done, three new cases recorded -CMO upset with repatriates for not abiding by quarantine conditions
Seventy-eight tests for the novel coronavirus disease were conducted during the last testing cycle, while three new cases were recorded.
The three new cases of COVID-19 which were recorded increased the total number of cases recorded in Guyana to 209. Seventy-eight tests were conducted during the last testing cycle which is the highest number of persons to be tested in one cycle to date. The total number of persons tested so far in Guyana now stands at 2,246.
There are currently 90 persons in institutional isolation which account for the number of current active cases. Sixteen persons are in institutional quarantine while 107 persons have so far recovered from the virus. There is only one patient currently in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
During the Public Health Ministry’s daily COVID-19 update, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud called out those repatriated Guyanese who have not been following the guidelines that they have signed on to, as a condition of being able to return to Guyana during the global pandemic. Dr Persaud described the act of those persons who provide misinformation to health officials as “irresponsible and selfish”, and accused them of potentially putting their lives and the lives of others at risk.
The Chief Medical Officer noted that the stipulated home quarantine that those repatriated Guyanese signed on to is important and should be followed. “Arriving with a negative PCR test does not prevent you from contracting COVID19 while travelling or on arrival in Guyana,” he said. Further he noted that it is disappointing that health officials attempting to follow up with those persons, find that they are not at home or are even unable to contact those persons as they would have provided inaccurate information. “You are deliberately defying the terms of your repatriation and making it difficult for those are still waiting to repatriate,” the Chief Medical Officer admonished.