FIVE more persons have died after contracting COVID-19, taking Guyana’s overall death toll to 875, the Ministry of Health has reported.

The ministry said that the latest fatalities are five men, including a 64-year-old who was unvaccinated and died on October 17; a 69-year-old who was unvaccinated and died on October 17; and a 34-year-old whose vaccination status was unknown and who died on October 7. All three men are from Region Three (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara).

The remaining fatalities are two men from Region Four (Demerara Mahaica); a partially vaccinated 68-year-old who died on October 17 and an unvaccinated 79-year-old who died on October 18.
Additionally, there are currently 3,873 active COVID-19 cases in Guyana, following the addition of 122 new cases on October 18, 2021, after 441 tests were conducted.

The 59 newly confirmed cases were recorded in Regions One, Three, Four, Six, Seven, and 10.
Region Four accounted for 19 of the new cases; Region One recorded one new case; Region Three recorded 21 cases; Region Six recorded four new cases, while Regions Seven and 10 recorded two and 12 new cases, respectively.

The country has now recorded a total of 34,514 confirmed cases since the first COVID-19 case was reported in March 2020.
Of the active cases, 24 persons are at the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the National Infectious Diseases Hospital, Liliendaal; 127 are in institutional isolation, 3,722 are in home isolation, and six 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 until October 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, all persons are required to wear face masks when leaving their homes, and physical distancing and adequate sanitisation are recommended. The current curfew period is 22:30hrs to 04:00hrs.

Persons with symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to call the COVID-19 hotline numbers: 231-1166; 226-7480; or 180/181 for assistance.