By Jarryl Bryan
With help from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Guyana is now one of the few Caribbean countries equipped to test for the coronavirus at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory in the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) compound.
This was confirmed by PAHO representative, Dr William Adu-Krow when asked by this publication on Wednesday on the sidelines of the commissioning of refurbished quarters for GPHC staff.
According to Adu-Krow, a PAHO Virology specialist arrived in Guyana on Monday and has since brought staff in the local laboratory up to speed. He expressed satisfaction with the steps being taken so far and the equipment that has been provided to health facilities, including protective equipment, which he said were donated to the Ministry of Public Health to add to its own stocks.
“All vehicles and plans coming through any of our ports of entry, staff have been trained. I’m happy to let you know that for the first time, we are one of the few countries (in the region) that are able to do our own coronavirus as from today,” he said.
“We have a virologist from PAHO who is now in the lab. He came yesterday, with the probes and primers. And from yesterday to today, we can do our own coronavirus testing. Not just coronavirus testing, but Yellow fever.”
Dr Adu-Krow also explained that PAHO regularly interfaces with local health officials to ensure they are prepared. This includes training staff at all ports of entry on the correct protocol to screen persons for the virus.
“A lot of things have happened. We give them daily briefings in terms of the status globally. It’s part of a family of viruses we know already, but this coronavirus is fairly new. And we are learning from the number of cases we get and its virology. And we share that with member states like Guyana.”
“The main thing we have advised the Government about is to ensure we are able to find cases early, contain them and manage them. And I think the Government has done a fairly good job so far,” Adu-Krow further explained.
Do not panic
The PAHO representative also urged persons not to panic and noted that the virus is of a less virulent strain than others. He reminded the Guyanese public that “we are in the flu season. So please don’t be alarmed if you hear someone cough.”
Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer (CEO) Dr Shamdeo Persaud revealed at another event on Wednesday that some 50 persons would have arrived in Guyana from China so far for the year. All but one of these individuals were screened, monitored, and declared free of the virus.
Dr Persaud said that health authorities were unable to track down and screen one individual, a European national. Dr Persaud explained that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)employed with the others after being tested is to keep tabs on them at home.
“Once we screen them, check their temperatures, take some history on signs and symptoms and then we classify them; so far, we have had more than 40 persons screened and of those, none of them actually presented with any symptoms to be isolated,” Dr Persaud explained.
It was announced earlier this month that virology experts from PAHO will be visiting various countries in the region. These experts were tasked with ensuring that laboratory specialists in the various countries are trained and equipped to identify cases of the coronavirus.
These training exercises were to be carried out in Guyana, The Bahamas, Barbados, Haiti, Jamaica, Belize and Dominica. The training would include providing the various labs with diagnostic materials such as primers and probes to test for Coronavirus.
