GUYANA MUST GET ITS ACT TOGETHER

May 14, 2020 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

There are anomalies with the COVID-19 scorecard which should be rectified. Unless this is done the inconsistencies can lead to confusion.
On Monday 11th May, it was reported that there were 109 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus. The total number of persons in institutional isolation was given as 63. The total number of recovered persons was given as 36 and the total number of deceased persons was given as 10. This adds up.
On Tuesday May 12, the total number of confirmed cases had risen to 113. The total number of persons in institutional isolation was given as 67 and the total number of recovered persons at 39. This totals 106. If you add the ten persons who are dead you will get 116 and not 113. Therefore, there is a problem here.
Yesterday, there were no new confirmed cases recorded. This means that the total confirmed cases stood at 113. Of this, 62 are in institutional isolation and 41 were listed as recovered with ten persons having died. This totals 113. There is no problem here except that it would appear that those persons in the Intensive Care Unit are being treated as still being in institutional isolation.
Guyana’s numbers are frightening. Since the partial lockdown and other restrictions, which were imposed, the situation has gotten worse rather than better. This is not unusual relative to some of the larger countries in Europe where the virus has been inflicting major casualties. The lockdown in those countries did not immediately lead to a decrease in the total number of cases or deaths.
But the large number of cases in Guyana is at odds when compared with most of the countries of the Caribbean. For example, Suriname is now been reported as coronavirus free. They have a total of just 10 cases and only one death. The nine cases, which had been active have all recovered
Suriname has not imposed any total lockdown of the country. In fact, their restrictions were not as strict as Guyana’s. The curfew, which they implemented began at 20:00 hrs rather than at 18:00 hrs. And they had a higher per capita number of tests than Guyana. Yet, the number of confirmed cases and deaths are less than one-tenth of the comparative numbers in Guyana.
Suriname had no active cases as at May 3, 2020. It does not mean that this will remain so but it just illustrates the difference in experience between that country and its western neighbour, Guyana.
So what really accounts for the low rate of confirmed infections in Suriname relative to Guyana? The main factor, which can account for the suppression of the virus in Suriname is preparation.
Suriname had begun preparing for the coronavirus since the end of January. They therefore had a full one-month head start over other countries in the Region including Guyana. But more importantly, the Crisis Management Unit which was established was more balanced than the one we have. They had included in the Unit persons from the police, national security, disaster management, the national hospital, along with epidemiologists, a clinician and 2 persons specialized in infectious diseases.
Contrast that with the approach of Guyana, which commenced more than one month later than Suriname. The National Task Force, which was established began as Inter-Ministerial Body. It has remained dominated by government ministers most of whom probably do not expect to be in office by the end of next month when the recount of the ballots of the elections finishes.
A Secretariat has now been added to the Task Force; that Secretariat is dominated by military personnel. It is not clear just what work the Secretariat is presently doing, how much international resources it has managed to raise and how much relief it has provided to citizens.
It has announced no action plan and no stricter enforcement of the existing social restrictions except that consideration will have to be given to a possible total lockdown given the recent spike in cases.
Guyana really has to get its act together. A good place to start is with improving the quality and quantity of the data provided and greater public reporting on the work of the Secretariat of the National Covid-19 Task Force.
Finally, Guyana is supposed to be sending the test samples to a regional Reference Laboratory. Can the authorities say whether this is being done and whether the Reference Laboratory has confirmed the locally confirmed cases?

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GUYANA MUST GET ITS ACT TOGETHER

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