COVID-19 Coordinator appointed in Region Ten

DPI, Guyana, Monday, May 11, 2020

General Medical Officer, Dr. Michael Marks who is attached to the Linden Hospital Complex has been appointed as the Upper Demerara-Berbice COVID-19 Coordinator.

The appointment comes as the Ministry of Public Health, in collaboration with the Regional Health and Emergency Committee (RHEC) of Region Ten has ramped up its efforts to tackle the pandemic in the district with the second largest number of novel coronavirus cases.

The Cuban-trained doctor will be responsible for managing 23 employees including doctors, nurses, cooks, maids, and clerical personnel, who will be posted at the medical institutions across the region.

Among those facilities coming under his purview are the Upper Demerara- Berbice   Hospital, which is the identified COVID-19 isolation centre and the Linden Foundation Secondary School Dormitory which will serve as a quarantine centre.

Both of these are expected to become operational by next week.

A statement issued by the RHEC noted that Dr. Marks expressed optimism with his appointment and relayed that he will be implementing the Plan of Action conceptualised by the committee to effectively address COVID-19 in the region.

“I am excited to be serving in this role and I am determined to stand up to the challenge. We in Region 10 are in an advantageous position to address COVID-19 as previously we addressed it as a committee but now, we are addressing it as a unit, which means that a lot more will be done,” he said.

The doctor posited that thus far the cases in Region Ten seem to be cluster related and with contact tracing health officials have been making inroads thus placing the region at an advantageous position in combating the spread of the disease.

The latest reports show that Region Ten has nine confirmed cases of the virus which includes one death and one recovery. Two children are among the nine persons testing positive.

Dr. Marks noted that the regional health officials are cognisant of the challenges they face, however with “increased support from stakeholders” they can stop the spread of the virus.

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