Study to determine COVID-19 trend in Guyana to be rolled out by March

The government will soon commence a Serosurveillance study in Guyana to determine the trends with the COVID-19 pandemic here. Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony on Monday revealed that the design of the study is nearing completion.

The study is being done in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and experts from Harvard University.  The surveillance team was put together late last year.

“They are about to complete that study design and hopefully in the first quarter of this year we will be able to deploy that study,” the Health Minister said.

While the Minister did not provide much detail on the study, he explained that rapid antibody COVID-19 tests will be used to test persons across Guyana to determine how many persons had the virus without even knowing. The Minister explained that thousands of the antibody tests are in storage and was never really used to test persons.

“These tests were really the antibody tests, so you really had to get infected before you detect any antibody so you have most of the tests in storage and we haven’t really used it because we want to do more diagnostic work rather than screening work,” the Minister explained.

Since March 2020, Guyana has recorded a total 7,641 confirmed cases of the virus and 176 persons have died.