…school dorm seen as hotbed for cases
By Alva Solomon
The death of a young school teacher at the South Rupununi village of Sand Creek over the weekend has heightened the growing concerns about the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases at the village.
Reports are that the educator was rushed to the Lethem Regional Hospital on Friday night from Sand Creek after her condition worsened. The woman had tested positive for the virus and according to a medical official at Lethem , she died on Sunday.
There are approximately 80 confirmed cases of the virus at the village , a significant number of which has been recorded at the dormitory facilities at the secondary school at the village. More than 40 cases were recorded there as of June 18, 2021, the village reported on its Facebook page.
During the first week of June , the village recorded 7 positive COVID cases but a lack of testing kits prevented further mass testing even as many residents displayed symptoms of the disease. Since then mass testing was undertaken and the number of cases continued to rise.
To date the Rupununi region has recorded almost 1300 positive COVID cases ; there are over 200 active cases.
At St Ignatius Village, the situation grew serious last week when two elderly persons died from complications attributed the virus, on the same day.
Residents of the populated areas in and around Lethem have been calling on the authorities to intervene to stymie the rise in cases. While some called for the implementation of a 6pm-6am curfew, others called for a region wide lockdown.
A front line worker noted that last week that “something” needs to be done immediately to control the spread of the pandemic within the region. Other residents noted that they have lost their loved ones suddenly, even as persons who are expected to be in quarantine, roam the roadways.
The authorities have been banking on ongoing vaccination campaigns as part of its fight to combat the disease. A recent news publication by a Norwegian news network has cast a dark light over the government’s procurement process of the Russian Sputnik vaccine.
Vaccination campaigns continue throughout the country , and to date the Ministry of Health has reported that over 226,000 first dose of vaccines have been administered. Some 96,000 plus persons have so far received the second doses of the various vaccines made available by the Ministry of Health.
