Three children in ‘COVID’ ICU, others hospitalised with severe symptoms

By Vishani Ragobeer

Hours after the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony said that four children are hopsitalised with COVID-19, the News Room has been able to confirm that seven children are hospitalised with three of those children receiving treatment in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Head of Strategic Planning and Communications at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Chelauna Providence highlighted that the three children in the ICU are a 16-year-old and two eight-year-old boys.

The COVID-19 ICU is located at the National infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, Georgetown, which is commonly known as the “Ocean View” or “COVID” hospital. This ICU treats those patients who are severely ill and who usually have difficulties breathing on their own.

The News Room understands that the 16-year-old boy is from Region Nine (Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo) while the eight-year-old boys are from the New Amsterdam and Corentyne areas in Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne).

The mother of one of the eight-year-old patients, Providence said, is also hospitalised.

Meanwhile, she related that there are another four young patients – ages 3, 11, 12 and 17 – in the hospital’s transition ward. These patients are all boys, as well.

The three-year-old patient is from Region Four (Demerara- Mahaica); the 11-year-old boy hails from Baramita, Region One (Barima- Waini); the 12-year-old boy is from Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne); and the 17-year-old boy is from Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro- Siparuni).

Importantly, Providence stated that this is the first time the hospital has this many children hospitalised at the same time.

“…. this really reinforces the need for vaccination,” Providence told the News Room on Friday.

She emphasised that none of the patients who were admitted to the hospital have been individuals who were fully vaccinated and as such, she made the fervent appeal for all people to get vaccinated to safeguard from these severe and potentially life-threatening symptoms of the disease.

On Friday morning, during his daily COVID-19 update, the Health Minister revealed that a “disturbing trend” of COVID-19 infections has been recorded among children, locally. According to him, a number of children have been recording the more severe forms of COVID-19.

What is worrying, the Minister explained, is that a majority of Guyana’s COVID-19 infections have been recorded in adults. And, of the 1,567 children who were infected, out of a total of 20,231 infections, the symptoms experienced were primarily mild.