JIC RELEASE NO. 278 - Sixth COVID-19 Related Fatality; Additional PCOR 1 Measures Implemented;Cumulative Results: 105 Test Positive for COVID-19; Profiles of Confirmed Cases;Saturday, August 22 Community Testing Postponed

The Joint Information Center was notified that at approximately 5:14 a.m. this morning, a 70-year-old male was taken to the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority (GMHA) and was pronounced dead on arrival. He was not a known COVID-19 case; however, he was swabbed at GMHA and his results came back positive and the fatality will be counted in Guam’s overall COVID-19 case count. The patient had no travel history. 

“Today, with great sadness and difficulty, I must announce we have lost another person to this virus. Reporting deaths is never easy, but we can easily forget that the numbers we report represent real people,” said Governor Lou Leon Guerrero. “We grieve for him and all the lives we lost in this battle. I have personally reached out to his family to offer our deepest condolences and sympathies on behalf of Lt. Governor Josh and the entire island community.”

COVID-19 test results are reported from multiple labs at varying times of the day. The Joint Information Center will report cumulative COVID-19 test results once a day, unless unavailable. 

For updated information on COVID-19 cases on Guam, visit the COVID-19 Dashboard and Situation Report at http://dphss.guam.gov/covid-19/.

Additional PCOR 1 Measures Implemented
Effective 12:00 p.m., August 21, pending an Executive Order, for one week, all businesses will be closed with the exception of grocery stores, healthcare operations, including pharmacies, gas stations, convenience stores, hardware stores, and those operations critical to health, shelter, and the preservation of life. Official guidance with further details will be released by the Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) tomorrow. 

A hotline will be established for people to call with questions they have regarding these new measures and will be announced once available. 

Cumulative Results
The following breakdown provides cumulative COVID-19 test results for Thursday, August 20, 2020:

1Beginning March 26, 2020
2Beginning March 31, 2020
3Beginning April 15, 2020
4Beginning April 23, 2020
5Beginning April 30, 2020
6Beginning August 10, 2020 

A total of 105 additional cases of COVID-19 were reported today. Of the 105 new cases, 51 cases were identified through contact tracing and eight cases reported recent travel and were identified in quarantine.

To date, there have been a total of 704 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 6 deaths, 381 not in isolation, and 317 cases in active isolation. Of those cases, 578 are classified as civilians and 126 are military service members. 

Profiles of Confirmed Cases

1Some cases that were previously released from isolation have tested positive through follow-up testing

2Hospitalization rate is based on intake numbers reported by GMH and USNH. This number may be subject to change. 

3Some cases traveled to more than one country  

Saturday, August 22 Community Testing Postponed
Community Testing scheduled for Saturday, August 22, 2020 at the St. Francis Church and School Parking Lot in Yona has been postponed. A new date will be announced at a later time. 

DPHSS is reaching its capacity for storage space for specimens and will need more time to be able to run the remaining tests as efficiently as possible. DPHSS assures the public that specimen samples are properly stored and preserved.

Due to the large number of samples submitted for COVID-19 testing to the Guam Public Health Laboratory (GPHL), DPHSS is informing patients that there will be a delay in issuing individual test results.

Patients can expect to receive their results within seven days. The most vulnerable, including health care workers and those who are close contacts to a positive case, are prioritized. Patients who have not received their results within seven days may contact the Northern Region Community Health Center (NRCHC) at (671) 635-7525/6. Patients can opt to receive their COVID-19 test results via DPHSS’ Guam Community Health Center (CHC) secure email service by sending a request to covidresults@dphss.guam.gov. Further instructions will be provided via email to patients before COVID-19 test results are sent. 

Patients experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are advised to call their health care provider. If a patient does not have a regular health care provider, they can call the Northern Region Community Health Center (NRCHC) at (671) 635-7525/6 to schedule an appointment. The NRCHC COVID-19 testing is available by appointment only.  

Those experiencing symptoms can also call the DPHSS Medical Triage Hotline phone numbers listed below to report symptoms and obtain guidance from clinicians, or call 311 and dial option number 1.
 

• (671) 480-7859/83 
• (671) 480-6760/63
• (671) 687-7321
• (671) 685-0358
• (671) 687-6170 (ADA Dedicated Number)