A 54-YEAR-OLD man from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), who died while receiving care at a medical facility, is the latest fatality of the COVID-19 virus, as the death toll climbed to 131, and another 69 cases were recorded on Thursday, according to statistics released.

The death is the third one recorded this week after a female pensioner from Region Two, and a male pensioner from Region One died while receiving treatment.
Accounting for just over 75 per cent of the new cases, Region Four continues to register the most new cases in the daily reports from the Ministry of Health (MoH). Region Four has thus far recorded 2060 of the total 4324 COVID-19 cases that the country has seen since March.

To deal with the situation, the MoH is rolling out increased testing in the region, even as citizens continue to be urged to practise precautionary measures to curb the spread of the virus.
The authorities have dispatched mobile testing units to Diamond and other communities on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), as part of efforts to curtail the spread of the virus in those areas.

The mobile testing units are expected to accumulate samples and set the foundation for a proper analysis of the situation. A mobile testing unit is scheduled to be stationed at the Grove Health Centre, EBD to conduct screening for COVID-19 ?on Saturday, November 7 and ?Sunday, November 8 starting ?from 09:00 hours on both days.

“The testing is open to all, regardless of whether or not they are showing COVID-19 symptoms. COVID-19 affects different people in different ways. Most infected people will develop mild to moderate illness, while some can develop serious symptoms resulting in hospitalisation,” a statement from the ministry said.

Aside from Region Four, new cases were also recorded in Regions Two, Three, Five, Six and 10 on Thursday. Region 10 recorded one new case while all the remaining regions recorded two cases each.
The number of persons in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit is now 11, after having been 13 on Wednesday. Of the new cases, 39 were females. However, males continue to lead overall in the gender distribution of the cases, accounting for 2,315 of the 4,393.

According to Thursday’s statistics, another 15 persons have recovered from the virus, bringing the total recoveries to 3,409. Sixty-nine persons are currently in institutional isolation while 32 persons are in institutional quarantine. Another 772 persons are in home isolation. To date, some 21,091 persons have been tested.