−159 new cases detected in 24h as 108 recorded in Region 4
Two more persons who tested positive for the novel coronavirus have died, the Health Ministry reported on Sunday, thus taking the death toll to a staggering 325.
These latest fatalities are two males – an 82-year-old from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and a 60-year-old from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) – both of whom died on Saturday while receiving care at medical facilities. 
Only Saturday, the Ministry had reported nine new coronavirus-related deaths that were recorded between April 25 and May 7, 2021.
It was explained that the patients were all admitted with COVID-19-like symptoms but died while receiving care at various medical institutions across the country.
Samples were taken at the time of admission, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests confirmed the positive results but this was after they would have already died.
With the two more fatalities recorded on Saturday, the COVID-19 death toll for the month of May has jumped to 24. April has since been deemed the deadliest month, with 66 persons dying from the novel coronavirus.
However, a whopping 159 new COVID-19 cases were detected within a 24-hour period.
According to new statistics provided by the Health Ministry on Sunday, the total number of confirmed cases in Guyana now stand at 14,362 – 7183 males and 7179 females.
Active cases in the country have now skyrocketed to a whopping 1883 of which 16 are patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the remaining 1867 persons in isolation, that is, 101 in institutional isolation and the other 1766 persons in home isolation.
In addition, there are also 16 persons in institutional quarantine.
To date, some 12,154 persons have recovered from the life-threatening virus – 82 more recoveries than the figure reported the previous day.
Some 130,388 persons in Guyana have been tested for the novel coronavirus since the outbreak of the pandemic here last year.
Of the 159 new cases recorded on Sunday, two were detected in Region One (Barima-Waini); five in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); 15 in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); a whopping 108 cases in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); five in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); two in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); another five cases in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); six in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and one new case in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
The figure in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region remained the same.
This rising number of COVID-19 cases and the death toll come as local authorities continue to battle with a new wave of the novel coronavirus that is seeing a higher number of young people contracting the virus, and infected persons becoming sicker with some requiring hospitalisation.
Government has been aggressively rolling out the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, immunising over 154,000 persons with their first shot, while more than 7000 persons have been fully vaccinated with both doses.
In order to further boost the vaccination exercise to achieve herd immunity at the earliest time possible, Guyana will be receiving another batch of 60,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines sometime this week. This is part of a US$2 million purchase of 200,000 doses of the Russian manufactured jab by the Irfaan Ali-led Administration.
Additionally, the country is also expected to receive its second tranche of 38,000 vaccines from the COVAX facility later this month.
In the meantime, health authorities are reminding all Guyanese to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No 17), which was extended for this month and will be in effect until May 31, 2021.
Among these measures is the 22:30h (10:30 pm) to 04:00h (4 am) national curfew, which the National COVID-19 Taskforce has been working to enforce by prosecuting persons who are in breach of the measures.
The order further emphasises 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.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as of Sunday, some 157,289,118 confirmed cases were reported globally along with 3,277,272 deaths.
The WHO also reported on Sunday that in the Region of the Americas, that is, Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased to 63,510,112 while the death toll in the region has gone up to 1,551,603.
