Financing for COVID-19 initiatives a top priority

Guyana will be moving to intensify the fight against the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and, to this end, newly-elected President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, said financing for COVID-19 initiatives will be a top priority for his government.

In answering questions related to the preparation of a National Budget, President Ali said the government is catering for a number of interventions and those include financing initiatives to deal with COVID-19.

“…That has to occupy one of the highest priorities, if not the highest priority right now,” said the president.
He said it is also important for Guyanese to know what mechanisms and arrangements are in place to deal with the dreaded pandemic, which has infected over 500 people and caused the death of 22 of those persons, locally.

President Ali was sworn in on Sunday, but has already engaged a number of stakeholders on the prevailing issue. A key participant in those engagements was Dr. Frank Anthony, who was sworn in as Minister of Public Health, on Wednesday.

The result of those engagements is a plan, which will soon be implemented by the new government.

“In the very near future, we need to do a number of things…we have done a rapid assessment and we have advised the president…the president will soon be making measures known, as to how we move forward,” Dr. Anthony said while responding to questions from reporters, on Wednesday.
When asked about Guyana’s capacity to test for COVID-19, the health minister said the National Reference Laboratory has a capacity to do about 50-60 tests per day.

“They are using an old machine which was purchased to test for HIV. It is about 20 years old and it takes about five to six hours to do the test, so that is why it is taking so long,” Dr. Anthony lamented, adding: “there are machines which could do up to 96 tests in one hour, so we are looking to procure those types of machines to lift the capacity of the reference lab.”
The aim is for the facility to have the capacity to do 300 tests per day. And, Dr. Anthony assured that government will be sourcing the “right” type of test kits to ensure that this happens.
To date, 5,057 persons have been tested from which there were 4,548 negative tests and 509 positive.

It was reported that, amidst the rise in cases, health authorities will be looking to “tighten” control measures in order to prevent the further transmission of the raging coronavirus disease.
As has been his wont every day to caution residents of hinterland communities about taking foolish risks, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, had said: “I plead with you to halt the illicit cross-border movement; look out for the migrants and report their presence immediately to the Authorities. On a personal level, I ask you to cooperate and comply with the regulations of social distancing and the hygiene etiquette.”

And just in case that did not do the trick, he said: “Fellow Guyanese, I know that you have been following closely these daily briefs, and that you are aware that our cases continue to climb, especially in the hotspot areas of Regions Seven and Nine.”

That said, he sought to remind his audience that the coronavirus is not selective or exclusive. “It’s all around; in and out of Guyana,” Dr. Persaud said, adding: “So everyone, everywhere, in all the ten administrative regions needs to make that special effort to continue playing a part in spreading the message about COVID-19. There should be no letting up; complacency and worse still a laissez faire attitude can be our undoing.”

Sadly, misconceptions about COVID-19 still persist, including the belief that the disease doesn’t exist; that wearing a mask causes the disease, and that even testing brings about the disease. These are “all myths”, which, according to Dr. Persaud, need to be dispelled if Guyana is going to “break the back of the camel” not only in Regions Seven and Nine, but in every community.

This, he believes, is the only way that persons can be supportive of the selfless efforts of the health workers on the frontline who are risking their lives to prevent the further transmission of the raging coronavirus.

He made a special plea to young persons, urging them not to delay, but seek medical assistance at the earliest.
“Fellow Guyanese, our irresponsible actions impinge greatly on our health workers whom we need to protect at all costs. They have families just like us; they want to enjoy life too; they deserve this, but they are making the sacrifice to protect all of us,” said the CMO.

He encouraged persons to cooperate and comply with all regulations of social distancing, hygiene etiquette and wearing of the mask in public.

Story via Guyana Chronicle

Source: CARICOM TODAY