Bartica records 1st COVID-19 case
—10 more individuals tested
DPI, Guyana, Thursday, June 25, 2020
A Bartician has tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the first case for the township.
According to a release from the Regional Health Officer (RHO) of Region 7, Dr. Edward Sagala, this is the first resident of Bartica tested positive that has shown the signs and symptoms of the contagious disease.
Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni ) Regional Health Officer, Dr. Edward Sagala
The male patient has a travel history to Oku in the Mazaurni Mining District. He has been transferred to an isolation facility in Georgetown for further management and care.
Samples from ten contacts of the patient were also sent to Georgetown on June 24, 2020, for testing. The results are expected to be returned before the end of the week.
“We continue to remind the Bartica Community again that COVID-19 is a real danger and has not disappeared, and will not do so soon. This disease spreads like wildfire and it kills. As such, we remind everyone to continue to seriously observe ALL the advisories, including hand-washing, wearing of masks, social distancing and observing the curfew,” Dr. Sagala emphasised in the release.
Mayor of Bartica, His Worship Gifford Marshall highlighted that Bartica has screening points at every legal entry of the town and advised transportation service providers and all those seeking entry to follow the protocols.
He also reminded of Guyana’s porous borders and urged foreign nationals and their employees to comply with all measures set in place and take the necessary precautions, including testing.
It was also clarified that a previous case recorded in May that was thought to have come from Bartica, in fact emanated from Aranka in Region 7. However, that person had travelled to Bartica where they were tested and found to be positive.
The Ministry of Public Health previously raised concerns over the alarming numbers of cases coming from the interior regions. To date, 42 persons from Region 1 have tested positive for the coronavirus and 31 cases have been reported from Aranka in Region 7.
Guyana has now recorded 215 cases of the novel coronavirus; 108 patients have since recovered and 12 have died.