4 more COVID-19 deaths, 78 new cases recorded

Deaths from the coronavirus continue to rise, with four more persons succumbing as of Thursday. The death toll in Guyana is now 225.
The Health Ministry announced that the latest fatalities were a 60-year-old man from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and a 61-year-old from Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) who died while seeking treatment on Wednesday, while a 63-year-old female from Region Four and a 78-year-old died on Thursday.
With the deaths of six persons earlier in the week, the overall total for this week so far is 10.
Positive cases recorded in Guyana increased by 78, and the total confirmed cases have now climbed to 9898. The new positive cases came from 822 samples that were sent for testing. The data shows that 8721 patients have recovered so far after 5063 males and 4835 females tested positive for the life-threatening virus.
According to the Ministry’s dashboard, there are 12 persons in the designated Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 893 in home isolation, 49 in institutional isolation and 18 in institutional quarantine.

New cases
Of the new cases, one was detected in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); 14 in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); 45 in Region Four; seven in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); eight in Region Seven; two in Region Nine (Upper Essequibo-Upper Takutu) and one in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
Cases in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Five (Demerara-Mahaica), and Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) remained at 1028, 275, and 246 respectively.

Vaccine after recovery
During the COVID-19 update, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony shared that persons who tested positive for the coronavirus produce antibodies to fend off the infection. As such, they will be administered the vaccine after recovery.
“If they already have the infection, we’ll wait until they recover and then give them the vaccine. The guidelines have been that if you’re already infected, that because you’re infected, your body will start reacting to produce antibodies. At that point, there is no need for the vaccine. The vaccines really help you from getting the severe form of the infection, so you want to give healthy people the vaccine,” he pointed out.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that recovered patients give others a chance to receive the vaccine first, given that they would have already developed some level of immunity to the virus.
“I think the WHO’s recommendation is primarily because of the scarcity of vaccines so if you had the infection and you recover, they were basically saying give somebody else a chance because at least for the next two to three months, your antibodies would help to protect you. But once we get enough vaccines, we’ll be able to ensure that everybody gets their vaccine.”
All Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No 15), which are in effect until March 31, 2021. This order emphasises the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home, the importance of maintaining six feet of physical distance from others, and the need for good hand hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Symptoms of the coronavirus includes 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 on 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit www.health.gov.gy. (G12)