TWO males, ages 50 and 48, have become the latest victims of COVID-19, taking Guyana’s overall death toll to 220, the Ministry of Health has announced.
Both men died on Tuesday while in the care of a medical facility. There are currently 927 active COVID-19 cases in Guyana, following the addition of 64 new ones as at March 20, 2021, according to the health ministry’s COVID-19 dashboard.
The good news, however, is that even as new cases were being recorded, 80 persons were said to have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 8,602. The 64 newly-confirmed cases were recorded in Regions One (Barima-Waini); Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); Four (Demerara-Mahaica); Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); and 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice). Thirty-four of the newly- confirmed cases were males, with the remaining 30 being females. Regions Four and Seven each accounted for 20 of the new cases, while Regions One and 10 recorded one each; Region Three, 17; and Region Six, five, all from a total of 829 tests.

This brings the number of confirmed cases the country has recorded since the first COVID-19 case was reported here in March 2020 to 9,732.
There are currently 927 active cases, 11 of which are under watch at the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the National Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, while another 61 persons are in institutional isolation; 840 in home isolation, and 15 are in institutional quarantine.
Many of the persons infected with the virus are said to be asymptomatic; that is, they are not exhibiting any of the symptoms associated with the disease.
The updated COVID–19 Emergency Measures are in force from March 1, 2021, until March 31, 2021, and may be extended or amended by notice of the Minister of Health, after an assessment of the prevailing public health conditions of the pandemic.
As per the current measures, however, all persons are required to wear face masks when leaving their homes. Physical distancing and adequate sanitisation are also important. The current curfew time is 22:30 hours to 04:00 hours. Persons with symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to call the COVID-19 hotline numbers: 231-1166; 226-7480; or 180/181 for assistance.