COVID-19 recoveries mean adjusted lifestyles – CMO

—Precautionary measures must still be adhered to

DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, May 19, 2020

The Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud has warned that persons who have recovered from the novel coronavirus have to make adjustments to their lifestyles.

Dr. Shamdeo Persaud was addressing the misconception that since COVID-19 is a disease from which people recover, is no need for total adherence to the health precautions.

The CMO cautioned that persons who have recovered need to make the necessary changes in their lifestyles so as not to come into contact with other positive cases, since a second infection may be worse than the first.

“I would like to caution that even though you might see persons recovering and not many more persons being identified that the measures we have put in place particularly in the health sector must be maintained so that we can bring a speedy end to this outbreak and avoid any future attacks as it were from COVID-19.”

He explained that the recovery period takes a minimum of 14 days after which two negative test results are required for a person to be declared well enough to be sent home.

However, the recovery period for some is not limited to 14 days and could take as long as 28-50 days before a negative result can be determined.

As of May 18, there were 124 cases in Guyana, which represents a high infection rate for Guyana’s population. Dr. Shamdeo Persaud re-emphasised that the stay-at-home policy must be adhered to as it lowers the risk of coming into contact with persons who might be carriers of the virus.

As such citizens are asked to only go out for essential services or to seek medical attention, continue practising social/physical distancing, regular handwashing and sanitizing and cleaning of surfaces.

To date, 45 persons (36 percent) have recovered from the virus in Guyana