Surge in cases overwhelm Region Nine COVID-19 facilities
-Health Ministry, CDC teams dispatched to intervene
Region Nine’s COVID-19 facilities are currently overwhelmed as the number of confirmed cases in the district significantly increased over the weekend.
According to Regional Executive Officer (REO), Carl Parker, the region has now recorded 85 cases in total, approximately 80 of which are active. Four persons have so far recovered and there has only been one COVID-19 death from the region.
The cases in the region stem from several communities, including Potarinau, Aranaputa, Quiko, Lethem and Katuur.
Following the alarming increase in cases in the region, isolation facilities became overwhelmed and as a result a team from the Ministry of Public Health and a team from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) were dispatched to the region to set up pre-fab housing units and to conduct assessments on the ground.
The erection of the housing units, Parker noted, comes as the region is preparing for an increase in COVID-19 cases. “In fact we have already run out of accommodation for these positive cases,” Parker noted, while adding that two of the isolation facilities are filled to capacity.
Three housing units are expected to be set up in Lethem and another three in Annai. Later this week, he said, a larger team from the Public Health Ministry is expected to arrive in the region and will assist the region in managing the outbreak and contact tracing. “So the objective here is to contain COVID-19 to the villages that already have them and prevent it from spreading to other communities,” he explained.
He went on to say that resources are being pulled from various sectors to be put into the COVID-19 operations in the region. Giving an example, he mentioned that his official vehicle along with other region-owned vehicles are being put to use to ensure that teams are mobilised in various parts of the region.
Parker further noted that following an emergency meeting, there was need for the region’s COVID-19 budget to be re-worked so as to prioritise the expenditure where absolutely necessary. Further, he said that contact tracing has been an ongoing exercise in the region but it has been a challenge for the health authorities.
He added that he is now quarantined at home after discovering that he had been in contact with someone who recently tested
positive for COVID-19. “I came into contact with a doctor who was tested positive yesterday (Sunday) and I called the health authorities and said, ‘Well hear, I have to go under quarantine, myself and my wife,’” Parker said, while adding that he is awaiting a test. He said they are taking extreme precautions to ensure that regional officials and persons working with the regional body do not contract the coronavirus as it would “paralyse the whole operation,” he added.
Lockdowns recommended
According to Parker, enforcement is a key issue in relation to ensuring that residents adhere to the safety measures put in place by the health authorities. Further he noted that the Regional Health Emergency Operations Committee (RHEOC) has recommended that Potarinau, the region’s epicentre, Aranaputa and Wowetta be subject to a strict lockdown in an effort to curb the spread and contain the virus.
When asked how the communities would be supplied with goods and other necessities during the lockdown, Parker noted that at the emergency meeting they discussed what can be done as most persons in those villages work to provide daily for their families or homes. The REO told Stabroek News that the regional committee will be reaching out to the CDC to inquire what assistance can be given to those communities to ensure that persons adhere to the lockdown.
He related that there are systems in place for the villages that are not locked down. However, there will be persons who do not want to follow the guidelines. “There are those who are hell-bent on not observing those measures. There are those who believe in the bush medicine and they say if they get COVID they got the remedy for it,” he said, while reiterating that there is a major problem when it comes to enforcement.
‘In real trouble’
Meanwhile, Parker stated that initially the cases that they recorded in the region were imported cases. However, it now appears as though there is cluster transmission taking place. “It can quickly descend into community spread and if it turns into community spread then we are in real trouble, especially since we have one ventilator,” Parker said.
Illegal cross-border movement, he said, is still taking place, which is putting a number of communities at risk. He noted that some persons observed that areas in Santa Fe, North Rupunini and Baitoon, located in South Central, have very active crossings. “The security forces can’t monitor all of that, that is a very large expanse of land,” Parker said. He noted that his solution was for authorities not to try to block those crossings - as persons will then find other ways around to evade authorities - and instead put systems in place to quarantine persons as soon as they cross. “If we’re to prevent them from crossing, they’ll find other crossing spots and you’d just be fighting wild fires,” Parker reasoned. Parker went on to say that they recommended that one of the pre-fab housing units be placed in Potarinau to be used as a quarantine facility as that is where one of the major illegal crossings is located. The REO urged residents to adhere to the COVID-19 emergency measures and to contact the health authorities if they come down with any symptoms of the coronavirus. He further stressed that it is nothing to be ashamed of, while adding that they should contact health authorities if they observe any illegal immigrants in their communities.