By Isanella Patoir
Guyana on Monday recorded its 11th death from the Coronavirus Disease.
Dead is 59-year-old Vincent Torres, a father of six, who resided at Santa Rosa, Moruca, Region One. He was employed with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as an Assistant Registration Officer and was also a former teacher.
While the family is denying that the man died from COVID-19 complications, Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Public Health, Terrence Esseboom, confirmed that the man tested positive for COVID-19.
His daughter, Denita Torres, told the News Room that her father had hypertension and dengue hemorrhagic fever. She said he complained of feeling unwell Wednesday last (May 20) and was taken to the Kumaka District Hospital in Region One.
Torres explained that her father presented with shortness of breath, bleeding and abdominal pains – all of which are also symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever. Shortness of breath is one of the symptoms of COVID-19.
The daughter said he was given a double dose of hydroxychloroquine – a malaria drug being used to treat the new Coronavirus.
“The day before he died the doctor examined him and stated that his lungs are working normal,” the daughter said.
Mr Torres died on Friday, May 22 at about 11:15h. The News Room understands that he was tested after he died.
“Rumors spread even before the family got results about his situation. We have not seen any official test but we do not believe that he died from COVID-19,” Torres told the News Room.
She further stated that it is baffling how her father could have contracted the disease. She said he only travelled to Georgetown in early March and recently travelled to Region Two which has not reported any confirmed cases of COVID-19.
“We are all trying. Stigmatization is not something nice and the fact that we know we he didn’t die from that and we also have to deal with his death…this is just shocking,” a tearful Torres said.
She said the family has so far been unable to see her father’s body and no health official told them anything about the results.
The family wants clarification and for a post mortem to be conducted as soon as possible.
Guyana’s 10th COVID-19 death was a 63-year-old male patient at the Palms Geriatric Home on Brickdam, Georgetown; he died on May 1, 2020.
The ninth COVID-19 death was recorded on April 29. The victim was 67-year-old Morris who was in the ICU.
Guyana recorded its eighth COVID-19 death on April 24; the victim was identified as Lennox Williams, 45, who died at approximately 14:45hrs.
Williams was also in the ICU. As of April 29, Guyana recorded 78 known cases of the disease including 18 recoveries and the number of deaths; this means there are 51 active cases of the disease here.
Guyana’s seventh COVID-19 death was recorded on April 18; the victim was 49-year-old Sydney Trellis popularly known as ‘Jacket’ who resided at Wismar, Linden in Region 10.
The sixth COVID-19 death in Guyana was recorded on April 8 and the victim was veteran engineer, Colonel John Percy Leon Lewis, 77. He was tested positive for the disease after he died.
The fifth death was recorded on April 6 and that victim was drag racer Deryck ‘Mad Dog’ Jaisingh while the fourth victim was 59-year-old Shadrach Stoll, who had a history of health complications, including diabetes and hypertension.
Guyana’s third COVID-19 death was recorded on April 3 and the victim was identified as Osa Collins, a 78-year-old resident of New Amsterdam.
Thirty-eight-year old Jermaine Ifill was the second person who died from the disease on March 31 while 52-year-old Ratna Baboolall from Good Hope, East Coast Demerara was Guyana’s first case; she died on March 11, a few days after arriving from the United States.
