Guyana records 12 new COVID-19 cases

…active cases now 208

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking its toll on Guyana, with a shocking 12 new cases as of Friday. This raised the total figures to 413 confirmed cases in the country.
All of the new cases are reportedly from Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
In the Public Health Ministry’s update, the number of deaths remained at 20. There are 208 active cases in institutional isolation – 50 of those persons in institutional quarantine and three in the Intensive Care Unit while 185 persons recovered. In total, 4705 samples were tested.
For the month of July, Guyana recorded a total of 165 cases of the novel coronavirus – the highest number of positives ever recorded in one month, painting a worrying trend.
At the beginning of July, there were 248 confirmed cases with 12 reported deaths. At that time, the active cases stood at 120, which were all placed in institutional insolation.
Fast forward to the end of the month, the total stood at 413 cases with a whopping 20 deaths. This means eight deaths were recorded in just one month.
On July 1, 42-year-old Kevin Ridley had succumbed to the coronavirus disease, bringing the country’s death toll up to 13. He was admitted to the hospital’s Accident and Emergency (A&E) Unit after complaining of shortness of breath and test results proved he had contracted the disease.
One day after, 34-year-old Abdool Khan succumbed while being treated at the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit. The businessman, who hailed from Bartica in Region Seven, was admitted one week after testing positive for the virus. His three-year-old child had tested positive along with several family members.
Later, on July 10, 25-year-old Donna Ambrose, a teacher of Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), was recorded as Guyana’s 15th COVID-19 death and the third fatality for that month.
One day after, 76-year-old May Portsmouth – a resident of Friendship, ECD, succumbed while receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the GPHC.
Five days later, Geerjadai Jagnarine of 7th Street, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara (ECD), passed away – three days after being transferred from the GPHC to the West Demerara Regional Hospital. During an interview with Guyana Times, the woman’s family cast blame on the public hospital for infecting her with the virus.
The sixth death for July was a 74-year-old man of Campbellville Housing Scheme, Georgetown, who succumbed on July 12. However, his death was announced three days later.
Later, a 34-year-old male of the North-West District, Region One (Barima-Waini), lost his life to the dreaded novel coronavirus.
This was followed the death of 56-year-old Roger Martindale, which was announced on July 24.