31 patients in COVID-19 ICU; more than 100 seriously ill across Guyana

There are 31 patients who have been experiencing the more serious and life-threatening symptoms of the disease, COVID-19. These patients are receiving treatment in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the National Infectious Diseases hospital at Liliendaal, Georgetown.

In a Facebook post made at 10:32 hrs on Monday, Head of Internal Medicine at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Dr. Mahendra Carpen stated that there are “more than 30 in the COVID ICU”.

Subsequently, the News Room was reliably informed that there are 31 patients receiving care in the ICU at the Liliendaal hospital. The ICU treats those patients who are severely ill and who usually have difficulties breathing on their own.

According to Sunday’s dashboard, released by the Ministry of Health, there were 26 patients in the ICU for the previous 24 hours. In addition to patients in this hospital’s ICU, other patients infected with COVID-19 are kept in the wards. And, Dr. Carpen, who has oversight for the Liliendaal hospital, stated that there are more than 80 patients there as well.

In his daily COVID-19 update that was done early Monday, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony also related that 104 people who have been infected with COVID-19 are hospitalised across Guyana.

He said that the number of people being hospitalised has been climbing as the infection is on the rise. In fact, he stated that over the past week, there have been more than 100 additional people infected each day with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

And, Dr Anthony explained, “From all the clinical parameters that we are seeing, it might be the new variants that are circulating.”

The Health Minister and Dr. Carpen both urged people to get vaccinated so that they can protect themselves from COVID-19.

While the COVID-19 vaccines may not entirely prevent infections from occurring, Dr. Anthony previously explained that the vaccines would protect people from getting severely ill and thus, prevent them from being hospitalised.