Guyana records 2 more COVID-19 related deaths

… 42 new cases

As of December 22, 2020, Guyana has recorded two additional coronavirus-related deaths, taking the total number of deaths to 162, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health (MoH).
The victims have been identified as an 88-year-old man from Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and a 68-year-old woman from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica). Both persons died while receiving medical attention at one of the Ministry’s COVID-19 facilities.
In addition, the Ministry of Health has said that 42 new cases of the deadly virus have been recorded, which brings the total number of confirmed cases to 6,258.
There are currently four people warded in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and an analysis of the total number of cases shows that 3,237 men have caught the virus, while 3,021 women have experienced ‘ n positive.
Based on the daily dashboard, 5,448 people have improved, while 28 are institutionalized alone and 616 are home isolated. Approximately 36,660 tests have been carried out so far, and 16 people remain in institutional quarantine.
Analysis has shown that 11 new cases were detected in Region 4 (Demerara-Mahaica), 16 in Region 5 (Mahaica-Berbice); 2 in Region 8 (Potaro-Siparuni), and 13 in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
There are still 931 cases in Region 1 (Barima-Waini); 186 in Region 2 (Pomeroon-Supenaam); 442 in Region 3 (Essequibo-West Demerara Islands); 303 in Region 6 (East Berbice-Corentyne); 537 in Region 7 (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and 396 in Region 9 (Upper Takutu-Essequibo Upper).
On Tuesday alone, the Ministry announced the death of a 73-year-old man from Region 5 (Mahaica-Berbice). He died Monday while being cared for at a medical facility, and his death has been ninth for December.

COVI-CURB
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, told the National Assembly that the Government had been working diligently to assess the COVID-19 situation and develop reasonable, rational ways of dealing with the the pandemic has had on the lives of citizens and the economy.
In a report from the Department of Public Information, the First Minister said that Operation COVI-CURB had been effective in engaging with the public and raising awareness of the disease. Operation COVI-CURB was implemented by the National Task Force COVID-19 to educate the population about the disease and reinforce the importance of adhering to the COVID-19 preventive measures.
“With the participation of Joint Services Members and volunteers across the country, a multi-sector, inter-agency approach has been taken to make the operation a very successful one. Education along with enforcement has seen an improvement in the way people respond to the coronavirus at all levels, and by that I mean from businesses and organizations up to civilians, ”the Prime Minister is quoted as saying .
He noted that while challenges exist, the Government will continue to tackle the pandemic in the best way possible from all angles, to ensure the safety of citizens first.
“But at the same time, taking into account the fact that we need to keep our economy running, so that families can look after themselves and people can return to work in a safe environment,” said Prime Minister Phillips.

New stress
Recent reports have confirmed that a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been discovered in the United Kingdom. This has resulted in stricter coronavirus restrictions being implemented in London and other areas. There are over 23 known mutations, a factor of concern in the global community.
Speaking about this issue, the Health Minister said, “As more investigations are carried out, we are likely to get a better picture of what is happening…
Many countries have moved to block air traffic between themselves and the UK. So, we had discussions with CARPHA yesterday, and we are trying to get consensus from a Caribbean perspective, how to respond to this. Our advice from CARPHA is that we should wait a while to find out what’s going on, and get scientific information before we make a decision. “
There are two Caribbean countries that have gone on to restrict flights from the UK; They are Jamaica and Grenada.