OVER 210 persons have recovered from the dreaded novel coronavirus (COVID-19) within the past week, a positive sign in the fight against the scourge which was first detected in Guyana in March, 2020.

The number of recoveries moved from 1,564 on Sunday to 1,776 on Friday, with 16 of those persons being medically cleared within the past 24 hours.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly-discovered coronavirus. Most people who fall sick with COVID-19 will experience mild to moderate symptoms, and recover without special treatment.

The WHO had said that 81 per cent of the persons who contract COVID-19 will have mild symptoms while 14 per cent will have severe symptoms, and five per cent will need intensive care.
Health authorities have so far tested 14,520 persons, with 11,552 proving negative, and 2,968 positive. Some 39 of those cases were recorded within the past 24 hours.
While persons have recovered from this disease, 85 persons have died and there are 1,107 active cases which include 165 persons in institutional isolation, 927 in home isolation, and 15 in the COVID-19 ICU.

Authorities have said that cases are being detected because more tests are being done. Sample- taking was also increased across the country because the authorities believed that many cases were going “under the radar”.
This suspicion had prompted the authorities to distribute more sample kits across the country, especially to regions where the infection rate is high. Most of the cases have so far been recorded in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
“We are sending out more kits, so there will be an increase in sample collection… the testing itself has components; one is sample collection, and then there is the processing of samples,” said Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, in a recent report.

Dr. Anthony had stated that “the actual testing will be done centrally at the National Reference Laboratory, because regional facilities lack the capacity and technical skills needed to get it done. While the government hopes to improve capacity in those regions, the immediate need for sample-testing takes precedence, especially with the high number of asymptomatic cases”.
Persons were encouraged to take extra precautions because there is no approved cure or specific treatment for the disease. Guyanese were also reminded to observe the protocols established in the COVID-19 emergency measures.