2 women succumb to COVID, cases rise by 92

…active cases surpass 500

The Health Ministry on Friday reported that two women who had tested positive for COVID-19 have succumbed, thus bringing to 231 the total number of deaths by this disease in Guyana.
One of these two women is a 37-year-old from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and the other is a 79-year-old from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara). They both died on May 18, and their vaccination status is unknown.
A whopping figure of 92 new infections accompanies the report of these fatalities on Friday, and confirmed cases have climbed to 64,174. From just a few daily cases being reported last month, the pandemic has taken a deadly turn locally. New statistics provided by the Ministry have shown that 504 persons are in isolation, two are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 25 are in institutional isolation, and four are in institutional quarantine.
An analysis of these new cases shows them dispersed among six administrative regions, with four being in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); seven in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); 56 in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); five in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); 17 in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and three in Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Upper Berbice).
Of those who had been infected by this disease — 29,395 males and 34,466 females — 62,315 persons have since recovered; the recovery rate in Guyana is approximately 97.5 per cent.
The most recent vaccination figures in Guyana indicate that over 441,000 first doses and 340,500 second doses have been administered to adults. This is approximately 86 per cent and 66.4 per cent respectively of that demographic. For children aged 12 to 17, more than 25,000, or 34.7 per cent, are completely vaccinated. Booster coverage has surpassed 63,000 doses.
These numbers have been stagnant within the past weeks, and authorities are urging Guyanese to get their immunity boosted.
The World Health Organization has published its latest comprehensive set of World Health Statistics up to the year 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to an estimated 4.5 million excess deaths in that year. These disruptions are likely to set back global progress on both life expectancy and healthy life expectancy made in the first 20 years of the century.
If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or needs any additional information, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotlines: 231-1166, 226-7480, or 624-6674 immediately, or visit www.health.gov.gy.
Global figures show that almost 517.6 million people have tested positive for the virus, and 6.2 million have died. In the Americas, more than 154.2 million confirmed cases have been reported, with over 2.7 million deaths.