Moruca man is Region Eight’s first COVID-19 case
DPI, Guyana, Friday, July 3, 2020
An eighteen-year-old man has tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Region Eight, making this the first case recorded in the district.
The man was said to have travelled from Moruca in Region One where he resides, to visit relatives living on the outskirts of Mahdia.
According to Regional Health Officer Dr. Chrissundra Abdool, the individual’s mother had tested positive for COVID-19 in Moruca.
Since he was found to be positive, three primary contacts have been quarantined and contact tracing is ongoing to find and quarantine anyone else who may have been in contact with him.
He is reported to have been in the region for at least 18 days before actually being identified.
“We received a call on the COVID-19 hotline from a concerned citizen stating that there was an individual who came from Moruca and we acted on that information… since he came from Moruca we did not quarantine him, instead, we isolated him and took a sample immediately.” Dr. Abdool explained.
The RHO added that the individual is asymptotic meaning he has not shown any signs and symptoms during the time he was in the region, right up to when he was tested.
Dr. Abdool added that this new development has prompted a robust contact tracing process which is seeking out persons who he might have travelled with or been in contact with during his 18-day stay in the region.
She also noted had the patient indicated that he initially came from Moruca he would have been immediately quarantined since his screening results indicated he was symptom-free.
“According to our records the contact has indicated that he came from town but he didn’t lie because from Moruca he did go to town then came here. We screened him at our checkpoint and he had no temperature…” Dr. Abdool explained.
The individual will remain in isolation until fully recovered.
Region Eight was among the two last regions which had not recorded a single case of coronavirus.
More COVID-19 tests are expected to be conducted in the area in the coming days to determine whether any other person had contracted the virus after coming into contact with this initial case.