10 new COVID-19 cases recorded in 24 hours

— active cases now jump to 169

Over the past 24 hours, Guyana has recorded 10 new cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), thus taking the total number of persons who would have contracted the virus to 370.
On Sunday the Public Health Ministry’s updated statistics showed that 85 tests were conducted in one day and 10 of those returned positive.
On Saturday there were 360 cases of the virus after eight samples turned up positive. Nevertheless, the number of deaths remain at 20.
Meanwhile, there are 169 persons in institutional isolation, 33 in institutional quarantine and four persons in the designated Intensive Care Unit (ICU). To date, the Ministry has tested 4273 persons and 181 of the positive cases have recovered.
Guyana’s latest COVID fatality was announced on Friday; but the victim, 56-year-old Roger Martindale of Bartica, Region Seven, died since Tuesday. His family is refuting the Ministry’s claim that the man died from the coronavirus after arguing that he was in his last stage of battling Tuberculosis.
This weekend’s COVID-19 statistics reflect a worrying trend of increasing coronavirus cases in the various hinterland regions.
The regional hotspots are Moruca and Mabaruma in Region One; Aranka, Bartica and Sulphur Rose in Region Seven; Itabac and Mahdia in Region Eight; and Lethem in Region Nine.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Karen Gordon-Boyle had indicated earlier in the week that a high number of cases were recorded in Regions One (Barima-Waini) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
To this, the senior health official had posited that the Public Health Ministry has been intensifying its efforts in the hinterland region.
“Recognising that our vast stretch of border leaves our residents in those bordering regions very vulnerable to imported cases, we also need to keep a watchful eye on our movement within and between our communities, and I am talking directly to those persons who knowingly have been close to positive persons,” she was quoted as saying.
She had also shared that Region One has the highest incidence rate of 363 cases per 100,000. This was followed by Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) with 38; Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) with 276, and Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) with 74.
This shows that even though Region One has an average population of 26,941 persons, the contraction rate is higher than in other population regions; like Four, which has 313,429 individuals residing there. As such, persons are 9.5 times more likely to be infected in Region One than in Region Four, and seven times more likely to get infected in Region Seven than in Four.
Globally, there are in excess of 15 million coronavirus cases recorded, while the death toll has reached over 635,000. Guyana faces serious threats from neighbouring Brazil and the illegal movement through its porous borders.