FIVE more persons have died from COVID-19, taking Guyana’s overall death toll to 523, the Ministry of Health has announced.

The latest fatalities are two 73-year-old women – one of whom died on June 29 and the other on July 2 – along with three men, a 45-year-old who died on July 21; a 60-year-old who died on July 22; and an 86-year-old who died on July 23. All five persons were from Demerara Mahaica, Region Four and died while receiving care at a medical facility.

Meanwhile, there are currently 1,066 active COVID-19 cases in Guyana following the addition of 240 new cases as at July 24, 2021. Even as new cases were recorded, 137 persons were reported to have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 20,503.

The 240 newly confirmed cases were recorded in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Nine and Ten. 121 of the newly confirmed cases were females with the remaining 119 being males.

Region Nine accounted for 173 of the new cases. Regions Two and Five recorded two cases each; Region Three recorded 18 new cases; Region Four recorded 29 new cases; while Regions Six and Ten recorded 12 and four new cases, respectively.

It was reported that the 240 new cases were recorded from a total of 2,263 tests. The country has now recorded a total of 22,090 confirmed cases since the first COVID-19 case was reported in March 2020.

Eleven persons are being kept at the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the National Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown. Currently, there are 75 persons in institutional isolation; 978 are in home isolation and two are in institutional quarantine. Many of the persons infected with the virus are said to be asymptomatic, that is, they are not exhibiting symptoms.

The updated COVID–19 Emergency Measures are in force from July 1, 2021 until July 31, 2021. They 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.