Guyana records 2 more COVID-19 deaths

…death toll at 130 with 7 new cases

The Health Ministry on Tuesday informed that two more deaths from COVID-19 have been reported. This takes the death toll from the pandemic to 130.
According to the Ministry, the latest fatalities reported were those of a 77-year-old female from Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and a 92-year-old man from Region One (Barima-Waini). These persons died while receiving care at medical facilities. They were admitted upon testing positive for the novel coronavirus.
For the month of November, there have been four deaths thus far. Two persons had succumbed on Monday –- a 74-year-old woman from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and a 57-year-old man from Region One.
Meanwhile, seven new cases were detected in one day, raising the total confirmed cases to 4245. Some 2241 males and 2004 females have contracted the virus thus far.
There are nine persons in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 73 persons in institutional isolation, 712 in home isolation and 32 in institutional quarantine. The number of recovered cases is 3320 and active cases stand at 826.
A breakdown of new cases show that one new case was detected in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and six in Region Four.
The cases in Regions One, Two, Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and Nine (Upper Demerara-Berbice) remained at 720, 80, 1983, 30, 75, 377, 138, 376, and 144 respectively.
To date, Guyana has facilitated testing for 20,331 persons.

Vaccines
During the daily update, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony noted that the rush continued to obtain a vaccine. As of now, over 200 vaccines are in the pre-clinical stage while others is in the clinical stage.
“Most people believe that getting the vaccine would help us to exit the pandemic. My understanding is that there is close to 203 different types of vaccines that are being developed. They’re in various stages of development, so quite a lot of them are in the pre-clinical stage,” he shared.
In the clinical stages, there are also different stages. Right now, approximately nine to 12 vaccines are in phase three trials. Dr Anthony says this is where the focus should be.
“These are the ones that we have to look at, because those that are in phase three trials, if they’re successful, then the next step would be to greenlight them for people to start manufacturing them.”
With several candidates showing promise in the bid to create a COVID-19 vaccine, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has taken the lead to procure and supply the injections, as part of the global plan of the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX).
In addition, UNICEF will also serve as procurement coordinator to support procurement by 80 higher-income economies, which have expressed their intent to participate in the COVAX Facility and would finance the vaccines from their own public finance budgets. The COVAX Facility is open to all countries to ensure that no country is left without access to a future COVID-19 vaccine.
UNICEF has undertaken these efforts in close collaboration with the World Health Organisation/Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) and other partners. Twelve Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Member States have signed agreements with GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance to access vaccines when they become available. CARPHA is assisting seven of these Member States with the down payment. Guyana is among a list of countries, including Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, St Lucia, as well as St Vincent and the Grenadines that automatically qualify to access the Vaccine Alliance.

COVID-19 facility
Speaking on the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, it was announced that the facility will be operational within a week, easing the strain on the Georgetown Public Hospital as patients will be transferred.
“By the end of the week, we should have substantially completed the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) facilities there and then we will start the process of transferring patients across to that facility,” the Minister said.
Presently, the facility’s ICU is equipped to treat between 25 and 29 patients.