A fifty-two-year-old woman, who recent travelled from Queens, New York, died this morning at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) and the authorities  say that samples are being tested to determine whether this could have been a case of the coronavirus.

Results are expected at 7 pm today.

At a hurriedly called press conference in the foyer of the Natural Cultural Centre, Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence while confirming the woman’s death maintained that Guyana does not have any cases of the virus  known as COVID-19. The virus’s global spread was today described as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

Lawrence said while there have been messages on social media that Guyana has had its first case of coronavirus this is not so.

“I want to categorically state from a medical standpoint that we have not received any evidence of such,” she said.

She also made it clear that the accident and emergency department of the GPHC has not been closed even though there have been some precautionary procedures put into place.

According to Dr. Jeffrey of the GPHC, who shared the press conference with the minister along with others, the fifty-two year-old female who was diabetic and hypertensive seemed to have flu- like symptoms.

He explained that she went to the GPHC yesterday afternoon at around 5 pm and while she was there she presented uncontrollable diabetic and hypertension conditions which saw her having to be resuscitated.

Resuscitation succeeded but at about 8 am today she died due “to her diseases basically diabetes and hypertension”.

An investigation was done and family members could not confirm any contact that she may have had with anyone with COVID-19.

However, because she travelled on a plane the doctor said suspicions can exist and as a result samples were taken and sent to the National Reference Laboratory.  The results are expected at around 7 pm.

“Until then we would not be able to confirm,” the doctor said.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shamdeo Persaud noted that the disease is drawing closer to Guyana.

And PAHO/WHO Representative to Guyana Dr. William Adu-Krow said it is his understanding that the patient did not have a fever and pointed out that a suspected case is one where the patient has acute respiratory illness or disease which is fever and at least one other symptom which is either a cough or shortness of breath.

“This patient did not have fever but had shortness of breath with diabetes…,” he said.