TWO more persons have died after contracting COVID-19, taking Guyana’s overall death toll to 1,030, the Ministry of Health has reported.

The ministry said that the latest fatalities are a 66-year-old man of Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne) who was fully vaccinated and died on December 18 and a 34-year-old woman of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), who died on December 16. The woman’s vaccination status is unknown.

There are currently 800 active COVID-19 cases in Guyana, following the addition of 53 new cases on December 19, 2021.

Region Four accounted for 17 of the new cases, Region One, Two and Three recorded one new case each, Region Six recorded 27 and Region Seven recorded seven.

The country has now recorded a total of 38,870 confirmed cases since the first COVID-19 case was reported in March 2020.

Of the active cases, 10 persons are at the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the National Infectious Diseases Hospital, Liliendaal; 39 are in institutional isolation, 749 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 until December 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 is 12:00hrs 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.