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On November 18, 2020, Texila American University conducted a webinar on the topic “Guyana Health Care System and the Impact of COVID-19.” Dr. Deeraj Bansal, Dean of College of Medicine, TAU, hosted the event. Prof. Dr. PremMisirtook part as a speaker and shared valuable insights on various aspects of COVID-19’s impact in Guyana. Dr. Misiris a tenured medical professional and a scholar serving on various academic boards as Pro-Vice-Chancellor SI Campus and Professor and Head of the School of Public Health at the University of the South Pacific.
Dr. Misir explained to the participants about medical professionals’ understanding of the transmission of the virus, testing methods, and how medical professionals handle asymptomatic patients.
He also pointed out the Guyanese healthcare’s response to the virus and its shortcomings in containing the virus during its initial stages. The conversation also shed light on the transmission rates and how it varies from country to country. Dr. Misir also educated the audience on how unique strategies would benefit countries in managing the virus’ spread and why we should change our one-size-fits-all approach to COVID-19.
Lately, the World Health Organization has set a benchmark for adequate testing that could help nations bring down the spread. Dr. Misir introduced a concept of the primary reproduction number known as R0 (pronounced “R-Naught”) used to gauge contagious infections and how this value could tailor our approach to setting appropriate limits and goals on testing and prevention in Guyana.
The webinar session concluded with a questionnaire session where participants raised exciting questions on improving testing procedures and advancing preventive measures to keep the spread in check. Overall, the webinar had provided the participants with some insightful information on COVID-19 and its impact in Guyana.
