Six more at the Palms test positive for COVID-19

Six women who live at the Palms Geriatric Home in Brickdam, Georgetown, recently tested positive for COVID-19.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases at the Palms to 12, including one death.

Four patients had tested positive early in May along with one Patient Care Assistant. The first set of patients were all from the male ward but included one female who visited the infirmary a few times.

Director of Social Services at the Ministry of Social Protection Wentworth Tanner confirmed to the News Room Monday that additional patients tested positive.

The patients are in isolation at the infirmary at the Palms. Tanner explained that they have already earmarked another location at the institution and is preparing it should the number of cases increase.

Since the first confirmed case on May 05, several staff members were sent on home quarantine.

“I cannot give you an exact number because as we do the contact tracing and persons were identified to have come into contact with persons who tested positive then immediately they are quarantined,” Tanner told the News Room.

One of the nurses on quarantine told the News Room that they remain in quarantine even after testing negative twice for the virus but Tanner claimed that those who received negative results are already back to work.

A number of nurses from the Palms also protested on May 08 for the Ministry of Public Health to provide them with sufficient protective gears and the News Room understands that the nurses are still not being given the protective gears.

Tanner disputed this, saying all staff are given the gears due to the level of work they perform.

“All of our nurses sign for their equipment, they sign at collecting their gloves, masks and any other equipment that deem necessary based on their assignment.

As of May 24, Guyana’s COVID-19 cases stand at 135, including 10 deaths and 62 recoveries.

The active COVID-19 cases stand at 63.