Health Minister meets with GPHC’s Management on Omicron wave

– additional measures to be taken for patients and staff safety

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony M.P., on Sunday held a meeting with senior management staff of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), to discuss additional measures to be taken to protect both patients and staff from the Omicron variant.

“I had a meeting with the heads of department of the GPHC to discuss the Omicron wave and what additional measures should be taken to ensure staff and patients safety,” Minister Anthony said.

These additional measures will be in place soon.   

On November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron, on the advice of the WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE). This decision was based on the evidence presented to the TAG-VE that Omicron has several mutations and that it is transmissible the same way as those before it.

In an earlier interview, Minister Anthony had urged persons to adhere to the basic COVID-19 measures, as the (WHO) had announced that the variant was already present in more than 67 countries.

Dr. Anthony also stated that while there was no reported case of the Omicron variant in Guyana, it could reach these shores eventually.

Among those present at Sunday’s meeting were Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Narine Singh and Director of Medical & Professional Services at GPHC, Dr. Fawcett Jeffrey.