Men putting families at risk by ignoring COVID-19 measures -CMO

More men than women are affected by the coronavirus and the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud believes that is as a direct result of men not taking the virus seriously.

Men putting families at risk by ignoring COVID-19 measures  -CMO

With an additional 34 tests completed over the past 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry is reporting no new cases of the coronavirus.

The total number of confirmed cases remains at 93 with 27 recoveries and 10 deaths.

The Public Health Ministry continues to be concerned about the large number of persons ignoring the stay at home and physical distancing guidelines.

More men than women are affected by the coronavirus and the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud believes that is as a direct result of men not taking the virus seriously.

“Georgetown continues to be the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic and that most of those who have tested positive, to date, are males with a ratio of 49:44. Further, it is predominantly clear that you are the main ones not adhering to the guidelines, congregating way past the curfew hours as if it were a prolonged holiday”, Dr. Persaud stated.

He said many Guyanese men may not realise that they are putting not just themselves at risk, but also their families and health workers at risk.

“As one male to another, I am pleading with you to do the practicable thing, which is to stay home and to be off the roadways. Do not think for one moment that you are invincible and that the virus cannot affect you because your area has not been identified as a COVID-19 hotspot”.

The Chief Medical Officer said the only way to stop the COVID-19 numbers from climbing is to take the advice of health professionals about avoiding large crowds, physical distancing and using a mask while in the outdoors.

Mobile testing sites are now in the Sophia and Kitty areas which are both hotspots for the coronavirus in the city.

Dr. Persaud reminded that “we have been appealing to you to come forward if you have been in contact with a positive case or experiencing any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19. If you arrive at our facility at an advanced stage of the disease, you are placing yourself at a disadvantage, and there may be very little that we can do to save your life.”

He complained about persons still not providing the correct information to the health authorites about their contacts once tested positive and that is creating a challenge for health workers to combat the disease.

“It is imperative that we find those persons in our communities asap, who can spread COVID-19 without even realizing it.  We are pleading with you to access the mobile units when they come to your community.  We must test your contacts and the contacts of their contacts; we must conduct tests in our hotspot areas to uncover the symptomatic and asymptomatic persons. Testing is critical if we are to contain this disease and flatten the curve.”

Guyana recorded its first coronavirus case almost two months ago. The numbers have been climbing steadily ever since.

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