NEWS
Return chloroquine to pharmacies
Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh is stressing that there is no basis to reports that chloroquine can be used to treat the coronavirus. Deyalsingh made the comment during a media briefing at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s, on Monday, in which the panel said members of the public have been buying the medication in large quantities,creating shortages for those in need. The drug is typically used to treat malaria, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Deyalsingh said there was no scientific evidence for claims that the use of chloroquine to treat the coronavirus. Read more here
Businesses fight to keep staff on board
As the days go by and the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact, so too are business owners who are also concerned about their revenue and maintaining the employment of staff. Already, some have thrown in the towel and opted to go the route of retrenchment in light of plummeting sales. But in the midst of it all, there are a few holding on for the sake of their workers. One such business is Incus Services limited. Director Leslie Lee Fook yesterday told Guardian Media that his company, which has 18 employees, has already started to feel the effects of the COVID shutdown. Read more here
Health care workers, cop test positive for COVID
Health care workers and a police officer attached to the Parliament have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. This was revealed during the media briefing held by on Monday Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister of National Security Stuart Young and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr Roshan Parasram. As of Monday night, there were 105 positive cases of Covid-19, and eight deaths. Read more here
POLITICS
Imbert: Can't help without tax collection
Deferring taxes would be like cutting off your nose to spite your face, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said Monday, because that income is what will help fund the government’s social programmes to offset the economic impact of covid19. “We have to give people help. Where is money supposed to come from? So, if we were to say yes, we will defer tax collection, (that) we will allow people not to pay taxes, where is the money going to come from to produce the salary relief grant and other assistance? "We can’t defer. It’s unfortunate so that’s just how it is. We need every single cent,” Imbert said during a virtual media conference. Read more here
Restaurants closed, stay home COVID plan extended
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday announced longer, tighter COVID-19 “lockdown” measures to keep the public from possible exposure. Starting this morning, the “Stay-at-Home” mandate has been extended to April 30, including for schools, curtailed operating hours for non-essential businesses and there’s now complete closure of food places. This as Government’s COVID-19 battle moved to the level of seeking to curtail community spread. In announcing the extension and changes at yesterday’s daily COVID-19 media briefing, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley explained, “We’re removing people from having to come out to get things and taking steps to put more people indoors until April 30. This is how we’re aiming not to walk the road others have walked as they missed this milestone.” Read more here
BUSINESS
Staff to get stipend for rest of April
In light of the announcement by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley indicating that restaurants are to be closed from today, Global Brands Chairman Mario Sabga-Aboud has indicated that his staff will be paid something to sustain themselves until the end of the month. In an interview with Guardian Media (GML), Sabga-Aboud said: “So we’re just working out the details for them to be able to give them some kind of stipend until the end of the month because they all will not have jobs.” He indicated: “We are going to give them something, we just have to work out the details of it.” Sabga-Aboud indicated that the company would have been giving out the perishable items to all the staff because they would have gone bad if they stayed until the end of the month. Read more here
Pharmacy board: Price increases not our fault
Drugs such as Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine aren’t the only items that have seen a significant increase in prices at local drug stores since the Covid-19 (coronavirus) was declared a pandemic. Read more here
REGIONAL
Local drag racer dies from COVID-19 complications
LOCAL Drag Racer, Deryck Jaisingh, called ‘Mad Dog’ has died from COVID-19 complications, becoming the fifth Guyanese to lose the battle against the dreaded disease. Reports are that Jaisingh tested positive for the coronavirus a week ago and on Monday evening, he succumbed while being treated for complications in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Jaisingh was also being treated for malaria and reports are that he was diabetic. According to reports, the man’s family members are also in quarantine. The Ministry of Public Health has since pleaded with Guyanese to take note of the effects of the disease and to intensify efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, on Monday, had noted that eight persons were in the COVID-19 ICU, with one being in a critical state. Prior to Jaisingh’s death, a male had succumbed at the COVID-19 facility at the Diamond Hospital, due to complications from the COVID-19 disease. Read more here
Haunted by rape - Clarendon girl never wants to return to school, says mom
COVID-19’s shuttering of schools has offered respite to an emotionally scarred teen who was pulled from classes on February 18 when she was reportedly held down by three boys who took turns sexually assaulting her. The teen’s mother is appealing for swift counselling for her daughter, a usually quiet child who she said is melting away in silence. The incident, as reported to The Gleaner, occurred during lunchtime inside a classroom at a Clarendon high school. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump turns angry and defensive as evidence contradicts his coronavirus narrative
President Donald Trump's contempt for science and disdain for experts who question his political narratives are driving his increasingly defensive and brittle management of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump was short-tempered and rude during much of his daily briefing on Monday as he refused to even listen to questions about shortcomings in the federal government effort. On Sunday, Trump muzzled the country's top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci before he could contradict his own gushing assessment of an unproven Covid-19 therapy. On Monday, the President also blasted a report by an experienced Health and Human Services Department watchdog official that found critical supply shortages at hospitals all over the country, claiming it was politically motivated. Read more here
Warning against over-interpreting figures
Experts have warned against over-interpreting the daily figures of people dying from the virus. Spikes or dips may in part reflect bottlenecks in the reporting system rather than real changes in the trend. Many hospitals, for example, will not report deaths that happened over the weekend until the following week. Read more here
7th April 2020