GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Top experts from the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York are in Guyana to train 400 physicians here to help them better detect and treat patients with long-COVID.
Generally, between 10 to 20 percent of persons affected by COVID-19 will have persistent symptoms months after falling ill. This is referred to as a long-COVID syndrome.
While many Guyanese have recovered from the deadly respiratory disease, many are still experiencing symptoms.
Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony
“One of the things that we’re trying to do is educate physicians so that they can recognize these signs and symptoms and treat these patients appropriately,” Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony said during his COVID-19 update on Wednesday.
President Irfaan Ali had engaged hospital officials during a recent visit to Guyana, requesting that they assist doctors in understanding long-COVID.
The first training session was held on Wednesday, and it included discussions on post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and unexpected outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister Anthony said the training would allow physicians to provide better treatment options.
“I think this is an excellent start-up session, and after the discussions, I’m sure that the local physicians would be more aware of long-COVID, what to look for and how to treat long-COVID,” he said.
Symptoms of Long-COVID range from mild to severe. They include fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of smell and taste, headaches, depression, anxiety, and memory loss.
Since the pandemic began in Guyana, the Ministry of Health has established a multidisciplinary team at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where persons experiencing long-COVID symptoms can be tested and
and then 