…143 new positives, 14 in ICU, 1816 active cases
On Thursday, the novel coronavirus claimed two more lives, thereby raising the country’s death toll to 335. For May so far, 36 persons have died.
The Health Ministry announced the deaths on Friday as two males: a 69-year-old from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) and a 70-year-old Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica). They both died while receiving care at a medical facility.
Prior to this, another two males: a 64-year-old and a 55-year-old from Region Four died on Wednesday. For the week thus far, there were 10 reported deaths.
Within one day, 1364 persons were tested and 143 tests returned positive. The total confirmed cases in Guyana is now 14,998 – a breakdown of 7497 males and 7491 females. 
Active cases are at 1819: with 14 in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 113 in institutional isolation, and 1692 in home isolation. Nine individuals are in institutional quarantine. Meanwhile, there have been 12,834 recoveries.
New cases
New cases emerged from Regions One (Barima-Waini); Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
In the recent coronavirus update, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony informed that 33.6 per cent of the adult population turned up at vaccination sites to take their first shot. This translates to 163,534 persons. The achieved second doses are 21,203 or 4.4 per cent of the eligible bracket.
While the AstraZeneca vaccine spans 12 weeks between the two jabs, Sputnik V and Sinopharm is approximately four weeks. He said by now, the second dose is due for a number of persons. Another 68,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine are expected to arrive in the country shortly to cover both first and second shots.
“With Sputnik V, its two different types vaccines. Those that you get for your first dose is a different vaccine and those that you get for your second dose is different one. It’s not like the others we’ve been giving where you use the same vaccine for first and second dose,” he stressed.
Active cases
From the active cases in Guyana, 83 persons are hospitalised. Hotspot figures are 31 active cases in Tuschen, 24 in La Parfaite Harmonie, 17 in Canal Number Two for Region Three. For Region Four, it is 46 at Diamond, 30 at Grove, 28 at Herstelling, 25 in Sophia, 18 in Kitty, 17 in La Penitence, 16 in Mon Repos and 15 in Non Pariel.
There was a spike in cases at New Amsterdam, Region Six, with 77 cases while Skeldon has 30 cases. Over in Bartica, Region Seven, authorities are monitoring 81 persons. Two sites in Region Nine have 31 cases each. Amelia’s Ward and Wismar, Region 10, have 47 and 44 active positives respectively.
“We have been actively monitoring and the regional teams are the ones that do the monitoring, testing and making sure that people are isolated. Most of these cases are mild. We have 83 persons right now who are in hospital, 55 of those are at the Ocean View Hospital, nine at West Demerara, four at Mahaicony, five at New Amsterdam, three in Bartica, two in Mahdia and six in Linden,” Dr Anthony detailed. (G12)
