A third COVID-19 case was recorded in Linden, Region 10 and according to a press release from the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), the patient is a 40-year-old male who had close relationship with the first patient who died in Linden.
The patient is being treated at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre. Regional Health Officer for Region Ten, Dr Pansy Armstrong’s said in the statement that it is now mandatory for patients to be treated at a facility.
“The patient had expressed reservations about going but I was able to convince him that he must go as its part of the new regulation and he complied. He is one of the now 73 cases in Guyana,” Dr Armstrong said.
The patient showed no signs of COVID-19 and this is worrisome as officials are concerned that there may be others who are asymptomatic.
“It’s interesting to see that the patient has not demonstrated no signs and symptoms of the disease but is tested positive, which is an indication that they may be others in similar position,” Dr Armstrong said.
Armstrong noted that a few days ago samples taken from ten persons in Linden were sent to Georgetown to be tested. Recently Dr Armstrong called for persons who have interacted with the first and second COVID-19 victims to present themselves for testing. This is called contact tracing.
The results returned with nine persons being negative and one positive.
Meanwhile, Regional Executive Officer (REO), Orrin Gordon reaffirmed his appeal for persons to take all required precautions, warning that the infection rate will continue to climb if people does not follow the precautions.
“Now that we have found that this individual had contact with the first patient it means that we would now have to circle this individual and those that he may have gotten in contact with to see if there are any others who may have been infected,” Gordon said.
The first COVID-19 patient from the region was identified as Sydney Trellis; he became Guyana’s seventh COVID-19 victim after he died on April 18.
On April 14, Linden recorded its second case after a 29-year-old woman tested positive; it was found that she had come into contact with Trellis.
She is currently warded at the Diamond Hospital on the East Bank of Demerara.
