Two more seniors succumb to COVID, death toll rises to 298
Two more COVID-19 deaths were recorded on Friday, pushing the country’s death toll closer to 300, even as 121 new cases were recorded.
The Ministry of Health yesterday confirmed the deaths, which increased the number of deaths recorded in April to 65, and the total number of deaths from the pandemic to 298.
The latest fatalities were identified as a 71-year-old woman from Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and a 73year-old woman from Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice). They both died while receiving care at the ministry’s medical facility.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry’s updated COVID-19 dashboard showed that as of Friday 121 new cases were confirmed from 1,386 tests, with Region Four, which has recorded the most cases nationally, accounting for the majority.
The dashboard also showed that that there were 17 persons in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit, as well as 89 persons in institutional isolation, 1701 persons in home isolation, and 10 persons in institutional quarantine.
Although Guyana has recorded a marked increase in new infections and deaths over the past two months, prompting fears that a variant of the virus is present, there has been no move by government to reinstitute stricture measures that had been imposed last year to curb transmission.
A national vaccination campaign, however, is presently underway.
The latest COVID-19 Emergency Measures, published last Friday, have extended the 10.30pm to 4am curfew throughout May, while also now allowing for the operation of casinos and betting shops at a 40% capacity.
Asked about the possibility of reinstituting a 6am to 6pm curfew, President Irfaan Ali last week said it was not on the cards.
In Trinidad, a rising number of cases has seen the government there reinstitute lockdown measures.