Guyana records 3 more COVID-19 death, 35 new cases recorded

As at Thursday, Guyana’s death toll had increased to 85 after three more persons succumbed to the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). 
The Health Ministry made the announcement on Thursday evening.
The country’s 83rd death is a 46-year-old male from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica). He reportedly died while receiving care at one of the medical facilities. The two other latest fatalities are also both males, aged 73 and 69, who also died while receiving care at a medical facility. They both were from the Demerara-Mahaica Region.
Two other deaths were confirmed on Wednesday. Those were a 61-year-old female from Region Four, who died while receiving care at the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and a 60-year-old man from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara). The week began with the COVID-19 death toll at 82.
Meanwhile, the country also saw an increase of 35 cases on Thursday, which raised the total confirmed cases to 2929. The daily dashboard showed 1555 males and 1374 females contracting the virus to date.
Statistics showed that three persons were transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which now stands at 14.
Meanwhile, there are 142 persons in institutional isolation and 101 patients in institutional quarantine. Those on home isolation stands at 931 – a reduction of seven. Another 80 persons have each made complete recovery, raising the recovery rate to 1760.
A breakdown of the positives showed that three cases were detected in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 31 in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), one in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and two in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), one in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), one in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and eight in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).
Figures remained the same in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), standing at 438, 36, 18, 42, 78 and 97 respectively.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony disclosed during a press conference on Thursday that an additional 21 ventilators will be arriving in the country by October 12. These ventilators, he said, will be distributed to the Regional Hospitals to boost the capacity of the regional health system.
To this end, Dr Anthony added that training has already commenced for the doctors at the Regional Hospitals to operate the machines. He further noted that two PCR machines will be added to those at the National Public Health Reference Lab, adding: “We are going to be able to process samples faster.”
Minister Anthony detailed that the Government has expanded the capacity at the GPHC, where most of the severe COVID-19 cases go, but noted that the capacities of all the hospitals have been expanded.
“We are now able to do more testing, and we are seeing that, by doing more testing, we are seeing more people who have tested positive,” he added.