Linden records third case of COVID-19

-Other residents urged to come forward

DPI, Guyana, Friday, April 24, 2020

Region Ten has recorded its third case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Regional Health Officer, Dr. Pansy Armstrong disclosed that since the first two cases were confirmed in the Upper Demerara-Berbice area the Regional Health Emergency Committee has worked to ensure all persons who were in contact with these two cases have been tested.

She revealed that a total of 10 persons have been tested and one of those returned positive results.  It was discovered that the third individual was in close contact with the first COVID-19 patient, who later succumbed.

The 40-year-old resident of Wismar Housing Scheme was transferred to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre treatment facility on Thursday evening.

Residents of region 10 who would have interacted with the first two COVID-19 cases are being asked to present themselves for testing.

Dr. Armstrong explained that contact tracing in Region 10, has found that the infection thus far is a cluster, not a community spread.

At the regional level, the RHEC continues to take on an aggressive approach in keeping imported cases very low. Screening is ongoing at the Amelia’s Ward and 58 Mile Police Outposts as well as at the Kwakwani Water Front.

The Upper Demerara Hospital has been identified as an isolation facility and strides were made in equipping the medical institution with the necessary supplies and protective gear to tackle COVID-19.

Training has also been ongoing for medical professionals and testing is now being carried out at the community level.

 

Note:  Cluster: A disease cluster or infection cluster is a group of similar health events that have occurred in the same area around the same time.

Community spread: Community spread is dispersal of a disease among a certain area, in which there is no direct knowledge of how or when someone contracted the disease.