GEORGETOWN – Guyana health authorities Wednesday urged citizens to await the results of a laboratory test after a woman died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) a few hours after she had been admitted Tuesday night with symptoms similar to pneumonia.
“I want to categorically state from the medical standpoint that we have not received any evidence of such. We do have a suspect case (of coronavirus (COVID-19) and like in all instances there are procedures that we follow,” Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, told a hastily arranged news conference.
Relatives said the unidentified woman had recently returned from New York where the COVID-19 has infected more than 173 people.
Since December 31, when China first reported cases of the novel coronavirus disease to the World Health Organisation, it has spread to dozens of countries around the world, including the United States.
As of March 11, there are more than 121 000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide, with major outbreaks in mainland China, Italy, Iran, and South Korea.
Lawrence, flanked by senior health officials, told reporters that contrary to reports the Accident and Emergency Unit of the GPH remains “open for business” and that the results of the tests should be available within hours.
“The Pubic Emergency of the Georgetown Public Hospital is not closed. We are open for business and basically what has happened after the diagnosis…there are procedures which are being followed within the Emergency Department,” she said, urging Guyanese to maintain a high surveillance with regards to the virus for which there is no cure or vaccine.
“It is that surveillance that will keep us safe…we need to go and have these tests done. This is what we expect and we very happy to see it operationalise and put into use and so I ask all of you, all Guyanese, please check out your source before you spread the information”.
On Tuesday, Jamaica became the first Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country to have reported an imported case of the virus after a Jamaican national with British citizenship tested positive a few days after arriving on the island. (CMC)
