Ministry could have regularly provided information on infected children

I refer to the recent media statement by the Ministry of Health (MOH) titled, “Let us all be responsible and stop politicizing COVID-19.” The MOH’s statement took aim at my sharp anger at what I called the Hon Minister’s and government “concealment” of the number of children infected. I am still to see where and how I went wrong, and as supported by details furnished by the MoH itself in its statement.

First, on a daily basis there is a “dashboard” with numbers publicized in the media on the latest infections and fatalities relative to COVID-19 presence in this country. That is good and has been most helpful in alerting Guyanese to where matters stand, and how they need to be, to use that specific word in the title of the MOH’s statement, “res-ponsible.” I applauded that before and do so now. It was still better and very revealing when that same daily COVID-19 dashboard encapsulated even more specifics about the numbers - discrete, as in actual digits single or otherwise - on how many and other surrounding details. In addition, and all most enlightening, there were pieces of information about which Administrative Region, the number of new cases, the breakdown into males and females. I emphasize that this was all clear and comforting, because Guyanese had a solid idea of what was going on, where things stand, and what they (we) all needed to do to protect ourselves, and to protect others.

Editor, but nowhere in that daily running dashboard were there any specifics, any separate and pointed reference to children. I ask to be pardoned for my ignorance, if it is expected that there should have been recognition and acceptance of them (the children) being lumped under “males” and “females.” I make no conclusions as to why the daily public releases could be so specific on most other crucial elements of the impacts of the COVID-19, but somehow there is nothing about children.

I am grateful, and all Guyana should be, for the MoH’s statement which identified that “statistics” were shared. But the MoH’s statement itself did make the belated admission that “the Ministry in the past did not disaggregate the numbers as per age group in our daily reporting.” I will not jump on that admission with a ‘gotcha’ and seek to score points, but simply say that the MoH could have kept this

nation and its parents abreast with the same specificity as it had so cleanly done with males and females and regions and the rest. This was too vital and sensitive to be categorized under vague “statistics.” That was and is not good enough, and ought to have been disclosed just as the other categories were delineated. It is my position that this did not help; it is one by which I stand.

Editor, I agree and thank the MoH and Minster Anthony for information on children infected in dorms, and I am sure that testing and the whole works have been done. Where I must most strenuously disagree and tender my resentment is that what I wrote amounted to being irresponsible, and that this gravest of issue was used for “politicizing”. I will not return the favour to either the Hon Minster or the MoH public relations people. This is too alarming an issue to descend to any partisan squabbling. And as much as that may be too much for political parochial and narrowminded Guyanese to discern, there are those who have no party to protect, only a society for which there is caring. Health officials speak of asymptomatic; they should know there is another called apolitical and objective and fearful, too. Digest those, please.

Similarly, it will have to suffice that if I were interested and engaged in politicizing, then I would not have anything favourable to speak of Minister Anthony and his ministry’s vaccine rollout and administration. I would not have denounced his predecessor for failing to give Guyana the whole story on where this country stood with the virus. Perhaps, the minister and MoH people conveniently forgot, but the record in SN and KN so confirms. Further, I would have found opportunity to jump into the issue of the pricing of that Russian vaccine shipment from a UAE supplier, and taken a partisan slant, but I didn’t. I have seized opportunities to praise our health professionals (and minister) for tireless efforts in the face of a crisis. To suddenly, therefore, rear up and rail about “politicking” is infra dig, and the MoH should know it. I call upon its professionals, not to see devils and partisanship, where there are none. To appreciate concerned patriotism, however alien such may be to local minds, is part of the ethics and ethos of a genuine democracy, and not this resorting to scurrilous and unfounded assertions and conclusions, damnations, about “politicizing.” The MoH should question itself, as to who really took this there, and for what purpose?

I close by leaving this with Minister Anthony, the MoH, and all its professionals, I strongly believe that some good work is being done. I believe that some mistakes, slips, have been made, and are understood. But this late breaking news about 1567 children cumulatively testing positive was neither Minister Anthony’s not the MoH’s finest hour. This is not occasion to play games-word or politicalwith any life, be it that of children or any other.