… Operational cases are down to 378

A 65-year-old man from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) is Guyana’s latest COVID-19 assassin, bringing the total to 170.
This follows the heels of the death of a 58-year-old man from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and a 39-year-old man from Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) on Sunday. The men died while being cared for in medical facilities.
Prior to Sunday’s double deaths, Guyana recorded its 167th COVID-19 death on Tuesday, January 5, 2021, when an 85-year-old man surrendered from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
However, a total of 13 new cases were recorded during a 24-hour period, taking the confirmed cases to 6588. There are three patients in the Intensive Care Unit, 52 institutionalized alone, 323 on alone at home and 30 in institutional quarantine.
Of the 3398 men and 3190 women who caught the virus, 6040 have fully recovered. To date, 41,741 have been tested by health officers but only 278 cases are active.
New cases have been reported across three administrative regions, with one in Region Three (Essequibo-West Demerara Islands), eight in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and two in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).
There are 976 cases in Region One (Barima-Waini), 204 cases in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), 313 in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), 549 in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), 216 in Region Eight (Potaro) -Siparuni), 403 in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and 532 in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
During Monday’s COVID-19 update, businesses and the general population were once again urged to ensure compliance with the established regulations. Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said he hoped to co-operate between these stakeholders to prevent a surge in cases.
It was recently announced that the COVID-19 Task Force would increase compliance with the guidelines, and several businesses have already been notified of their respective violations.
“We’ve been sending out warnings [to] several businesses nationwide and the Task Force would increase its operations. People need to be vigilant. Businesses need to comply with these regulations because they are there for a reason and that is to stop the spread of the disease in Guyana. If everyone helps us and we work together, we can all protect each other’s health, ”shared Dr Anthony.
Amid allegations that some businesses received a free ticket when they breached the regulations, he noted that all those cited had been warned. He suggested that the Task Force be made aware of those involved in order to take action.
“We have written to everyone and if any organization that people are aware of has been given a free ticket, then I would suggest that they contact the Task Force Secretariat and bring it to our attention because no one is above ‘ the law. ”
The Minister also referred to the dangers of indoor eating, especially as it meant not wearing a mask. If someone engages in these activities and carries the virus asymmetrically, they can inadvertently infect scores of people.
He was advised, “Transmission not only occurs due to droplets. Transmission would also occur due to aerosols and in an enclosed environment where little circulation occurs. If you go there to drink and eat, obviously you have no mask and without a mask, if you are disproportionate, you are throwing away the virus. “
On the aspect of the new variant of the virus, he said discussions were ongoing through the Caribbean Public Health Agency. At the first meeting, there were no suggestions or orders to close boundaries or transport arrangements. As such, countries were to decide if they followed that path.
“As we are not doing genetic sequencing, it will be very difficult to find out if we have that strain in the Caribbean or not. We will only work if we have a proactive program of surveillance using genetic sequencing [able to] find this. That’s how the UK managed to detect this kind of mutation, ”he said.

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