Ministry plans symposium to sensitise public about coronavirus

Mar 07, 2020 News

With moves by the Caribbean Public Health Agency [CARPHA] to upgrade the novel coronarvirus risk in the Caribbean from low to moderate-high, owing to an increase in imported cases, Guyana has been looking to ramp up its response efforts.

A coronavirus symposium is billed for the National Cultural Centre on Wednesday March 11, 2020

High on the Ministry of Public Health’s agenda is the sensitisation of the population, a tactic that Chief Medical Officer [CMO], Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, has regarded as crucial.
In this regard, the Ministry has planned a coronavirus symposium billed for the National Cultural Centre, Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown on Wednesday March 11, 2020 from 09:00 – 11:00 hours.
Announcing by way of a flyer that all are invited to the symposium, the Ministry hopes to use the forum to enlighten members of the public about facts about the virus. The forum will be facilitated by the Ministry’s technical team and partners.
Matters slated to be addressed, according to information released by the Ministry, are the global situation report; Guyana’s readiness to test for the virus; the national response plan to the threat; infection control and the preparation at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC] and the prevention of the spread of the disease.
The prevailing strain of the coronavirus, which has infected persons in some 50 countries, emerged in Wuhan, China, last year. It has since been classified by the World Health Organisation as COVID-19. More than 80,000 people have been infected with the virus and in excess of 2,000 deaths have been linked to it.
Guyana has thus far reported no case of the virus and in order to maintain this status as far as possible, the Ministry, Dr. Persaud said, has activated a contingency plan.
“We always have a contingency plan; a national influenza preparedness and response plan [and] that has the basic elements…,” said Dr. Persaud.
He revealed that the main focus of the Ministry is on the country’s points of entry – the two main airports, seaports, the Moleson Creek crossing and the Lethem crossing.
Even as consideration is given to the possibility of persons using other gateways, Dr. Persaud spoke of an increase of strategically placed port health officers.
“We have beefed that up with some additional medexes; we have a doctor at the Cheddi Jagan [International Airport], along with three medexes and they are screening all the persons who Immigration flags,” said Dr. Persaud.
According to the CMO, too, “Our point of contact would be anyone who has travelled to China…and we have extended even for persons coming from that region. A lot of times persons may go through, because of travel routes and airlines and so on, Korea or Japan or to Singapore; there are varying ways, so we track those also.”
These passengers are required to undergo health checks, including a temperature check, and a detailed questionnaire is completed with them as a means of acquiring necessary information about their travels.
Thus far, there have been about 53 persons who were flagged and screened upon entry, Dr. Persaud said. Preliminary testing for the virus can be done at the National Reference Lab and confirmed by other laboratories including the Caribbean Public Health Agency.
The coronavirus is transmitted from person to person in much the way a cold is transmitted, and manifests with symptoms ranging from cough to pneumonia.
According to Dr. Persaud, persons can help to safeguard themselves by embracing hygienic practices including frequent hand washing.