Parents of baby who died from COVID-19 test negative

The parents of a six-day-old infant, who was recorded as Guyana’s 150th COVID-19 death, have tested negative for the disease, raising concerns that the child was infected at the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he was born.

The mother of the child told the News Room on Friday that she is awaiting confirmation from the hospital on when she will be able to lay him to rest.

The baby was born on November 17 via cesarean-section with Pneumonia related complications. As a result, he was placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and had little contact with his mother.

Six days later, the baby died; during a post mortem examination, he was swabbed for COVID-19 as a precaution and the results came back positive.

The Ministry of Health, in a press statement, recorded the baby’s death as a COVID-19 fatality on November 29. He was the youngest person to die from the disease in Guyana, following an 11-year-old girl who was diagnosed with Leukemia.

When contacted, Regional Health Officer of Region Three, Dr Erica Forte referred all questions to the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Narine Singh.

Singh subsequently told the News Room that an investigation is ongoing but all other questions should be directed to the Ministry’s spokesperson, Daniel Singh.

Singh has since promised to respond later in the day.