FOUR more persons have died after contracting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as of October 20, taking Guyana’s death toll to 881.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Health (MoH), the now-deceased persons were admitted to different medical institutions as patients with symptoms which appeared to be similar to those of COVID-19. They died while receiving care.

The MoH release stated that samples were taken at the time of admission, which confirmed that the four persons — two males and two females — tested positive for the virus. All persons were over the age of 50.

Further details from the MoH show that two of the four deceased persons were unvaccinated, one was fully-vaccinated, and one was partially-vaccinated. The four persons were from Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The Health Ministry expressed condolences to the families of the deceased, noting further that efforts will be made to provide all necessary support during their time of need.

The Ministry of Health, in its release, called for the public to allow the families of the deceased their privacy.

Sparing no bones, the release called for persons in Guyana to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No.22), which are in effect until October 31, 2021. A national curfew remains in effect every night between 22:30 hrs and 04:00 hrs.

Guyana has also recorded 118 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 34,726 from 342,015 COVID-19 tests conducted just prior to this update. The total number of recovered cases are 30,206.

In its release, the Health Ministry emphasised to the public “the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home”; “the importance of maintaining the six-feet physical distance from others”; and “the need for good hand-hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

Persons displaying symptoms associated with COVID-19 or in need of additional information are urged to contact the COVID-19 hotlines at 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 or visit the Ministry of Health’s website www.health.gov.gy.