Health Minister says Coronavirus BA.2 variant suspected in Guyana

BA2 is a subvariant of Omicron.

The Health Ministry said that while the omicron variant was the dominant COVID-19 strain earlier this year, its subvariant known as BA.2 now accounts for the majority of coronavirus cases globally.

Minister, Frank Anthony pointed out that due to the signs and symptoms of affected COVID-19 patients in Guyana, it is possible that the variant is circulating in the country. The minister was speaking during Friday’s COVID-19 update. “What we’ve seen in the Americas is the circulation of the BA.2 (variant)…so that is something we probably have here in Guyana. It’s much milder, but it’s more transmissible,” Dr. Anthony said.

He continued, “It can cause hospitalisation especially for persons who are older and unvaccinated, and we are seeing a few cases of persons getting sick and requiring hospitalization.”

The minister disclosed that the ministry will be sending samples to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for testing.

“We would like to confirm which variant is circulating, so obviously we’ll be taking samples and trying to verify with CARPHA and other institutions what variants are circulating,” he said.

Dr. Anthony has appealed to those still unvaccinated to get inoculated, especially those with comorbidities.

The minister revealed that there are currently 638 active cases across the country, with Region Four being the hotspot region.

The health minister revealed that the number of positive cases might be “under represented” stating that, “I think it’s an under representation of what is happening in the country because there are people who might be testing, and they’re not reporting to us, because there’re lots of self-testing kits that are available to people,” he said.

Minister Anthony said that persons are reminded to wear a facemask in indoor spaces, ensure proper ventilation and get vaccinated against COVID-19.

He added that as of Friday, 86.1 percent of the adult population took the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine while 66.6 percent has been fully vaccinated.