Guyana has recorded six new cases of COVID-19, including the first in Region Eight, which means that the virus has now reached nine of Guyana’s ten Administrative regions.
This was announced on Friday during the Ministry of Public Health’s COVID-19 daily update, where it was stated that based on the results from 43 tests that were done, six new cases have been recorded. As a result, Guyana’s total number of cases since March 11th, when the first was confirmed, stands at 256.
One of the six new cases was recorded in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and is said to be an imported case from Moruca, in Region One.
Region Eight previously stood with Region Five as one of the two regions that had not recorded any case of COVID-19.
According to a report from the Department of Public Information (DPI) last evening, the positive case is an 18-year-old patient who travelled from Moruca to visit relatives in the outskirts of Mahdia and had been in the region for about 18 days prior to being identified.
The report noted that since the man tested positive, three persons who were in contact with him were quarantined even as a contact tracing exercise is ongoing to find and quarantine other persons that he might have been in contact with.
Regional Health Officer Dr Chrissundra Abdool told DPI that health authorities acted on information they received from a call to the COVID-19 hotline. Dr Abdool noted that the man was immediately placed in isolation although he is asymptomatic. Aggressive contact tracing is expected to be carried out.
Meanwhile, during yesterday’s Health Ministry update, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Karen Gordon-Boyle stated that 117 persons have so far recovered, while the number of active cases rose to 125 and all those persons are within institutional isolation. She then noted that the number of deaths as a result of the virus remains at 14 even as 16 persons are in institutional quarantine and one person in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Speaking on the new death that was recorded on Thursday, she stated that it left a family with the loss of a father, husband and breadwinner. “I am pleading with you, therefore, to consider your actions and envisage that life could change in a wink,” she said while urging persons to cooperate fully with the compliance division of the Natural Resources Ministry, CDC and other agencies that are working collaboratively with the Public health Ministry to contain the spread of the virus.
The number of positive cases has continued to increase even as the government proceeds with the implementation of the second phase of the rollback of some of the emergency measures, except in designated areas in regions One and Seven where there have been spikes in infections.
The second phase began yesterday and will continue until July 16th.
According to the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No.5), which were gazetted yesterday, three other services were added to the essential services category and will be allowed to operate during the curfew period. Those services include medical schools, public sector construction and factories, and manufacturers or distributors.
The restriction on a number of social activities and the nationwide 6pm to 6am curfew remain in effect during this period.
