225 COVID-19 cases detected in 1 week

In one week, Guyana recorded a whopping 225 cases of the novel coronavirus in addition to six fatalities.
The Health Ministry shared on its updated dashboard that 26 cases were reported on Saturday, which raised the total confirmed cases to 8207. These new cases emerged from 327 swab samples.
Apart from the 186 deaths, there are eight patients in the designated Intensive Care Unit with 40 persons in institutional isolation, 594 in home isolation and 28 in institutional quarantine.
From the 4268 males and 3939 females that contracted the virus thus far, 7379 have completely recovered. Consequently, there are 642 active cases remaining. Guyana has managed to test 54,873 people since the virus was detected locally. In one week, 2398 tests were sent for analysis.

New cases
A breakdown showed that new cases were recorded in six administrative regions. This translates to one in Region One (Barima-Waini), three in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 17 in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), three in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), two in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and one in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).
The cases in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) remain at 233, 455, 412 and 638 respectively.
Guyanese have been asked continuously to follow the outlined national measures, which were implemented by Government to curtail widespread infection.
While some may experience little to no symptoms, others can contract the worse form of the virus that lingers months after recovery. Data shows that the infection can affect the brain, digestive system, respiratory system, kidneys and skin.
The World Health Organisation has pointed out, “For some people, some symptoms may linger or recur for weeks or months following initial recovery. This can also happen in people with mild disease. People are not infectious to others during this time. Some patients develop medical complications that may have lasting health effects.”
Additionally, mostly older persons have been succumbing to the virus since comorbidities increase the risk of developing a worse form of the virus. Persons in this bracket have been asked to continue taking their respective medications or treatment to control their condition. Next, the preventative measures and guidelines to protect against the virus must be adhered to.
Symptoms of the coronavirus include fever, cough, tiredness, diarrhoea, pains, sore throat and loss of taste or smell. The more serious symptoms are difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain and loss of speech or movement. If persons are experiencing symptoms or have been in contact with a positive person, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit www.health.gov.gy. (G12)