928 active COVID-19 cases in Guyana

…2 positives recorded in 24h

Guyana’s total number of recorded COVID-19 cases is now at 4026, after only two positives were reported on Monday.
The Health Ministry’s dashboard showed that the number of deaths also remained constant, at 119. To date, 2122 males and 1904 females have contracted the virus.
There are 15 persons in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). There are 108 persons in institutional isolation, 775 in home isolation and 30 in institutional quarantine. Another nine persons recovered, amounting to a total of 3009.
A breakdown showed the new cases were detected in Regions One (Barima-Waini) and Four (Demerara-Mahaica).
Notwithstanding, there are 72 cases in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), 303 cases in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 27 in Regions Five (Mahaica-Berbice), 67 Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), 375 in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), 131 in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), 375 cases in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and 137 in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
The total number of persons tested for the novel coronavirus in Guyana thus far is 18,489.

Kwebanna lockdown
Kwebanna, a small community in Region One (Barima-Waini), has a total of 53 active COVID-19 cases, and along with community leaders, the Health Ministry has taken a number of measures to bring the situation under control.
This was according to Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, who, during a daily COVID-19 update, said that the rapid increase in cases for such a small community is quite worrying. “Region One, overall we have a total of 84 active cases, but in Kwebanna itself we now have 53 active cases, so you can see that’s an unusually high number of COVID cases for one single area.”
According to Dr Anthony, the 53 persons have since been isolated. He said the Ministry is currently monitoring each case and will take the necessary action to provide the level of care required if the health of persons deteriorates.
After becoming a hotspot for COVID-19, community leaders and the health authorities agreed to implement a full lockdown for 14 days in the community.
Dr Anthony noted that the full lockdown means that for the next 14 days, there will be restricted movement of persons.
A team of medical professionals have been dispatched to the area. In addition to providing healthcare services, they are also conducting sensitisation campaigns etc.
Meanwhile, the Health Minister disclosed that the National Public Health Reference Laboratory now has the capacity to process around 450 to 600 tests per day.
The latest fatalities were recorded on Saturday following the deaths of a 78-year-old male from Region Four and an 86-year-old male from Region Eight – both of whom died while receiving care at medical facilities. These two deaths had taken the COVID fatality for last week up to eight. The week began with the death toll at 111.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), some 42,745,212 confirmed cases were reported globally along with 1,150,961 deaths.
The Region of the Americas, that is, Latin America and the Caribbean has been identified as the most affected region by the virus. WHO also reported on Sunday, that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region increased to 19,477,882 while the death toll has gone up to 622,086.
Since taking office, the PPP/C Government has embarked on a massive testing drive to ensure that all positive cases, especially asymptomatic cases, are detected. This has resulted in a high number of cases being detected.
Nevertheless, Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No 9), which are in effect until October 31, 2020. This order emphasises, among other things, the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving home; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others; and the need for good hand hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. (G12)