Approximately nine patients who have been tested negative for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), after spending weeks in isolation, were moved to the former Ocean View Hotel at Liliendaal, East Coast of Demerara which is being converted into a COVID-19 hospital.
The nine patients, who were housed at the Diamond Isolation Unit on the East Bank of Demerara, received their first negative results on Monday.
Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Public Health, Terrence Esseboom told the News Room that the patients’ samples were taken on Tuesday for a second test. If those results are negative, they will be cleared to return home.
Construction is still ongoing at the former hotel to transform it into the COVID-19 Hospital. The News Room understands that the patients are placed in one open flat with beds as they were told there is no need to separate them if they are all negative.
Efforts to contact the Chief Medical Officer Dr Shamdeo Persaud and the person in charge of the Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) proved futile.
However, it is believed that the decision was made after the isolated patients protested against new patients being placed in the same room with those who are recovering.
At the weekend, a video surfaced with two doctors at the Diamond Isolation Unit attempting to break down a door after a recovering COVID-19 patient barricaded himself inside.
The chaos started after the doctors attempted to place a recent COVID-19 positive patient in the same room with the male who has been there for two weeks and is due to be re-tested.
The doctors eventually retreated from the area and placed the new patient in another room.
The Ministry of Health is yet to issue a statement on the incident.
As of May 26, 2020, Guyana recorded two new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 139.
The total also includes 11 deaths and 62 recoveries which means that there are 66 active COVID-19 cases in institutional isolation, including two persons in the COVID-19 ICU.
