Ministry of Health Virtual Media Briefing on COVID-19 – Saturday September 19th 2020

Key Points from the Ministry of Health's Virtual Media Briefing on COVID-19 – Saturday September 19th 2020 Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh noted that 30,767,440 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded globally, with 957,608 deaths. He said people should observe what is happening in Europe where many leaders are considering a second lockdown in a bid to reduce the number of cases. Dr. Antony Parkinson, Technical Advisor, Hospital Services, spoke on the topic of ICU Management. At present, he said the ICUs are manageable. However, doctors have come to realise that this can change in a matter of hours. Dr. Parkinson said there is a pattern emerging in terms of COVID-19 deaths as persons with diabetes and hypertension are most likely to succumb to the virus, followed by persons with chronic kidney disease, cardiac diseases, and cancer/history of cancer. The elderly population is most at risk for COVID-19, with the average age being 65. However, Dr. Parkinson said it is not a death sentence for an elderly person with core morbidities to contract COVID-19. He highlighted a case at hospital where a 70 year old diabetic/hypertensive patient, who had heart surgery earlier this year, is currently recovering from COVID-19. This elderly patient was in ICU twice, but is now doing well. Dr. Parkinson juxtaposed this “high risk” case with that of a 34 year old man with no co-morbidities who succumbed to COVID-19. He urged young people not to play Russian roulette with COVID-19.