Guyana records 19th COVID-19 death, 1 new case

– active cases now 133

Guyana has recorded its 19th COVID-19 death on Wednesday afternoon at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The man has been identified as a 36-year-old male from the North West District in Region One (Barima-Waini). He was reportedly in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the time of his demise.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud told a media outlet that males were more susceptible to the disease since they were not taking it seriously.
As such, he urged all to take the necessary precautions and to adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines that were put in place.
As of Thursday, July 16, one case of the virus was detected. The total positive cases thus far have climbed to 314, but there were only 133 active cases.
During the COVID-19 briefing, it was revealed that 162 persons have since recovered while eight persons were in institutional quarantine. From the 3418 tests conducted, some 3104 returned negative. Five persons are still receiving treatment in the designated Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Deputy CMO, Dr Karen Gordon-Boyle noted that Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) still leads the list with 115 recorded cases.
This is followed by Region One (Barima-Waini) with 95; Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) with 48 and Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) with 26 cases.
Other regions with reported cases include Regions Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) with 11 cases; Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) with 10 cases; Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) with three cases; and Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) with one each.
Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) remains the only administrative region without a case of the coronavirus.
According to the DCMO, health officials are pleased with the recovery rate, representing 52 per cent of all cases.
Nevertheless, she said, “I wish to emphasise the Ministry’s deep concern about the increase in cases even as we appreciate the upward trend of our recoveries. As we have been pleading through our briefs, it is imperative for all of us to adhere to the guidelines outlined for our safety.”
Presently, Regions One and Seven are the target areas for intervention, owing to the uncontrollable infection rate, but the general populace is asked to remain vigilant for any sign of the virus.
“We cannot allow the exponential increase in cases to continue and overwhelm our health workers. I am, therefore, relying on all – residents, Toshaos, whistleblowers, to respond positively and help us to reach those contacts that may be experiencing any COVID-related signs or symptoms or may have been in proximity with a COVID case.
“Further, restrict your movement in and out of these regions and remain vigilant concerning undocumented migrants from Brazil and Venezuela who may not have been quarantined. The COVID-19 pandemic in these bordering countries is still rampant,” Dr Gordon-Boyle insisted.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the total number of cases is 13,150,645 with 574,464 deaths. Regionally, the number of cases is 6,884,151 with 290,674 deaths.