As Guyana initiates ‘isolation health care’ mode… Doctor reminds persons with COVID-19 symptoms: ‘don’t visit health facilities; call hotlines”

Mar 25, 2020 News

By Sharmain Grainger

According to data published by the World Health Organisation [WHO] (https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports), as of yesterday, Guyana continued to have a total of five confirmed cases of COVID-19. Since ministries of health across the world subscribe to the edicts of the WHO, it is recognised as an authority on all things health. Moreover, it is the daily updated WHO’s numbers that are accepted as the existing coronavirus state of affairs.

Dr. Tarik Davidson, GPHC’s Head of Paediatrics

Perhaps ignorant to the forgoing, some people have expressed concern that the number of cases for Guyana on non-WHO online sites suggests the local number exceeds that reported by WHO by as much as 13. When contacted for a response to this voiced concern, Public Relations and Health Promotions Officer within the Public Health Ministry, Mr. Terrence Esseboom, insisted that WHO remains the sole authority on such matters. This is since Ministries are expected to filter their actual confirmed cases directly to WHO which will not jeopardise its integrity to condone irregularities.
But the concerns are likely to continue to rage, especially since there is no guarantee, currently at least, that there are not a few more hosts of this virus walking the streets of Dear Land of Guyana. It is not by chance this disease has been commanding the attention of the world and local health officials have more than an inkling of the gravity of the situation.
Speaking on Monday’s edition of Your Health Matters on Kaieteur Radio [99.1 & 99.5 FM], Dr. Tarik Davidson, Head of Paediatrics at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC], did not hide that there exists the possibility of more persons “walking around” already infected with the virus.
He was responding to a caller whose expressed suspicion that there may be more cases than the numbers being by published WHO.
“It is possible that we have more than five cases because we are not doing wide-spread testing, [but] what we haven’t seen is a number of patients coming to the health care facilities with symptoms of COVID-19 and requiring hospitalisation,” said Dr. Davidson aiming, it would seem, to spark some hope.
Continuing in the optimistic vein, Dr. Davidson disclosed that outside of the five laboratory- confirmed cases, “there are a number of persons who are in self isolation either because they have been in contact with one of the five persons or they have exhibited signs and symptoms of COVID-19, and they have had positive travel histories.”
Measures are also in place to deal with those persons who may have concerns about their coronavirus status. Providing details, Dr. Davidson said, “even if you think you have coronavirus or you have symptoms that are in keeping with coronavirus, the recommendation is to call the [Public Health] Ministry’s hotline where a questionnaire will either be administered to you over the phone, or your contact information be taken and a health care worker is going to come and make an assessment.” [hotline numbers: 227-4986, 231-7490, 231-1166, 226-7480, 624-9355, 624-6674, 624-3067]
But according to the medical practitioner, “it is possible sometimes for persons to think they are exposed when they don’t meet the criteria of being exposed.”
Being exposed boils down to being in contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, or if one recently visited a country that has confirmed cases of the disease.
Currently, the delivery of health care is tantamount to a turf war, the contenders being the country’s response and COVID-19. Although not yet in the heat of battle, like some countries are, Guyana has advertised a battle-ready stance to tame the threat of an epidemic. This has enlisted what may seem to some as harsh measures, but the authorities are claiming to be driven by Solomon’s lyrical “there is a time for everything” notion.
COVID-19, of astounding contagion proportion, has upturned medical logics and instead of persons being encouraged to seek help at the nearest health facility, they are advised to stay home.
“We are advising persons NOT to visit the health care facilities because that entails you travelling in public, increasing the chance of spreading it to others and then you increase the chance of then spreading it to the health care workers,” was Dr. Davidson’s earnest appeal.
Symptoms consistent with the disease are not dissimilar from a cold or flu and therefore may include fever and cough, later complimented by shortness of breath.
A victim’s account, aired by an international news outfit, of the manifestation of the virus suggests that it could begin with a “tingling sensation in the throat” and develop within a matter of days to pneumonia.
In addition to embracing good and regular hand-washing practices, the advice being echoed across the globe is social distancing, a feat that app[eared to be impossible to some.
Choosing to separate those infected from others is undoubtedly the single most tactical move that countries can embrace to combat this novel coronavirus.
Guyana, like many countries, is hoping to overcome this formidable foe, but according to Dr. Davidson, this cannot become a reality without adherence to restrictive measures that have been activated by way of a presidential order. This has included clearance being given to limit the number of persons gathered socially, among other measures. Encouraging strict hygienic behaviour is another high ranking feature of the national response. This was warranted Dr. Davidson said, because “coronavirus is droplet transmission”. This, he said, means that if an infected person sneezes, coughs or any mucus from their respiratory tract leaves their body and enters the atmosphere, it is infectious thereby putting those within proximity at risk. Moreover the call for adherence is being emphasized.
The global count of COVID-19 cases, according to WHO, has surpassed 300,000 of which more than 14,000 have since been entered into respective countries’ register of deaths.