11 more test positive for COVID-19, 5 in ICU

Active COVID-19 cases in Guyana have increased to 99 after another 11 persons tested positive for the novel coronavirus within a 24-hour period.
This now takes the total number of confirmed cases in Guyana to 63,305.
Of the 99 active cases, five are currently patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the remaining 94 persons in isolation – nine in institutional isolation and 85 in home isolation.
An additional 18 persons are also in institutional quarantine.
There has been no fatality from the virus so far this month. Consequently, the COVID-19 death toll in Guyana remains at 1266.
Some 61,980 persons have recovered after contracting the life-threatening disease – four more recoveries than the figure reported the previous day.
Meanwhile, since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Guyana over two years ago, a total of 575,267 tests have been conducted countrywide and of this number, 63,305 returned positive results – 29,144 males and 34,161 females were found to be positive.
Of the 11 new cases detected on Thursday, three were from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), seven were from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), and the remaining one case from Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice).
There were no new cases in the other seven regions across the country within the reporting 24-hour period.
This declining trend in COVID-19 cases has resulted in the Guyana Government last month removing most restrictions as the country moves to recover from the pandemic and return to normalcy.
But while mandates such as masking in public and social distancing are no longer in place, health authorities are still encouraging persons to get vaccinated, and for those who are qualified to get their booster shots, in order to add a layer of protection against the virus.
The latest figures show that so far, more than 438,714 or 85.5 per cent of adults have taken a first dose and of that number, some 337,660 or 65.8 per cent are fully vaccinated.
For adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, approximately 34,358 or 47.1 per cent of them have received their first dose, while some 25,094 or 34.4 per cent are fully immunised.
In addition, in excess of 59,585 persons have returned for their booster shots thus far.
According to recent figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO), some 493,392,853 confirmed cases were reported globally along with 6,165,833 deaths.
In the Region of the Americas, that is, Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased to 151,130,255 while the death toll has gone up to 2,705,278.
As it relates to vaccination against COVID-19, WHO also reported that a total of 11,250,782,214 doses have been administered worldwide.