Health Ministry sends COVID-19 test samples to CARPHA to be tested for new variants

Jan 24, 2021 Peeping Tom

Kaieteur News– The Ministry of Health has sent COVID-19 test samples taken in Guyana to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) located in Trinidad to have them tested for the new variants of COVID-19. This was announced by the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, while delivering the COVID-19 update on Friday.
The Minister had previously announced that Guyana currently lacks the capacity to test for the new variants at both public and private health inst

Minister of Health,
Dr. Frank Anthony

itutions. Testing for the new variants requires genetic sequencing, which cannot be done in Guyana, hence several samples taken were sent to CARPHA since Guyana lacks the resources to do so.
Further, he disclosed that additional test samples will be sent for testing soon. Minister Anthony did not give a direct date in which the samples were sent out, but did state that the results from the test samples sent out could take more than a week.
Guyana has not recorded any case of the new variants, which is because there are no resources available to conduct the necessary testing to confirm. The new variants include the United Kingdom strain commonly known as B-117, the South African strain 501Y.V2 and the Brazilian strain known as P.1.
The Minister also noted that cases of the new strains have already been recorded in the Caribbean region.
“Yesterday, the Ministry of Health in Trinidad and Tobago reported that they have identified the B117 variant in Trinidad. They have reported that and so we are now alerted. This probably is the 2nd case that we have had in the Caribbean with the first being in Jamaica and now we have one in Trinidad and I suspe

ct once we start doing the genetic sequencing, we will find similar cases in other countries,” Dr. Anthony stated.
In the meantime, he has urged that persons continue to observe all COVID-19 regulations, especially the social distancing protocols set to prevent transmission. This is because the new variants are said to be transmitted at an increased speed.
Notably, persons have been concerned about COVID-19 variants being right in Guyana’s backyard, and the dangers of them arriving in the country since the capacity to test is already lacking. The government has imposed restrictions to prevent the spread of the variant closest to Guyana, the P.1 variant in Brazil, maintaining the border closure that has been in effect since March last year.
The government, however, has not restricted flights from the UK and has stated that CARPHA (who is providing guidance on the issue) has not recommended a travel restriction. It is also unclear whether Guyana is accepting direct flights from South Africa and what measures are in place for travel from Trinidad, since the country has a new variant present and is in proximity to Guyana.