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Covid cases on the rise again – 169 new infections so far this week
Kaieteur News – Amid the ‘lowering of the guard here’ with little enforcement of the Covid-19 measures, there has been a marked resurgence of new cases and hospitalisations.
Guyana has virtually thrown away all the protocols it had implemented to protect citizens against the disease, this include less testing, lifting of the curfew and the non-enforcement of mask-wearing. This is so despite warning from the Pan American Health Organisation. Based on this newspaper’s count some 169 cases have been recorded for the week so far. According to the Ministry of Health dashboard, Guyana recorded 52 cases on Thursday to add to the 56 recorded on Wednesday. Four persons remain in Intensive Care Unit.
Back in march the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) had warned that while public health measures were being lifted in many parts of the Americas it was too soon for countries to lower their guard. “When places relax measures at the wrong moment, transmission spikes dangerously and we lose more lives,” Dr. Carissa Etienne, director of PAHO had said during a media briefing, urging countries to base decisions on risk assessments and health data, and to tighten public health guidance if cases go up. “COVID-19 is likely to be here to stay. We must learn to live with this virus, and quickly adapt to new changes,” the PAHO Director added.
Reflecting on the past two years of the pandemic, Dr. Etienne said that the Americas has been hit harder than any other region in the world, with more than 2.6 million lives lost – half of all global deaths. “This is a tragedy of enormous proportions, and its effects will be felt for years to come,” the PAHO Director added. She also warned that “the pandemic is still a threat today,” with countries experiencing record numbers of new infections during the Omicron wave, and the Americas accounting for 63% of new global cases in the first two months of 2022 alone. “
“We all want the pandemic to be over, but optimism alone cannot control the virus,” she said, calling for countries to keep a “finger on the pulse.” Countries must build on lessons from the past two years to prepare for quick action and adjust public health guidance if a new variant emerges or outbreaks happen – by ensuring continued surveillance and by making testing readily available even when transmission is low.
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony recently urged persons not to become complacent, as the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over in Guyana. During Tuesday’s COVID-19 update, he said persons are encouraged to continue wearing their masks in crowded areas, and to get vaccinated. “This is a significant increase, and we have to be mindful of that, and one of the things I want to urge people is to start taking precautions. I think over the last couple of weeks people have discarded a lot of the public health measures that we have been telling them to use especially wearing masks when you’re in an indoor environment…and if we continue to do so there are chances that you can get infected,” he said. The health minister is also encouraging persons eligible for booster doses to get the jab, especially those with comorbidities. He said being vaccinated against COVID-19 will boost one’s immunity, prevent serious illnesses and even death. “In addition to that, our vaccination boosters are relatively low, so I would really want to urge people to come and get their booster doses because that is very important.”
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