From the onset of the novel coronavirus in Guyana at the beginning of March 2020 to the present day, just under 40,000 people have contracted the virus.
Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony revealed that more than 95 percent of the persons who have tested positive have fully recovered from the symptoms connected with COVID-19.
“To date, we have 39,151 persons who have tested positive for COVID, and over the period since we have started testing, we would’ve done close to 418,178 tests…of these tests, we were able to deduce that 39,151 persons would have tested positive. Of [these positive cases], we have had 37,366 persons who have recovered, so that’s 95.4% of those who have tested positive,” the Minister highlighted.
The Minister noted that just about 2.6% of the persons who tested positive have died since the virus arrived on Guyana’s shores.
“If you look at the persons who have died, which is 1,050 that would be approximately 2.6% of those who tested positive [that] died from COVID,” the Minister said.
While this has already been classified as good news in Guyana’s fight against COVID-19, the Minister reminded that it is paramount for Guyanese to continue following the health and safety protocols implemented by the government and to be fully vaccinated, as prevention is always better than cure.
The Minister took the opportunity to remind partygoers and promoters to be responsible, by avoiding large gatherings and not hosting events for large gatherings.
“There are a lot of persons who can behave responsibly, and we want them to do so because if you don’t, you are putting yourself and your family and your loved ones at risk, and that can be challenging going forward…it’s not that we want to be the Party Grinch, but we really want to keep people safe,” Minister Anthony warned.
There are currently 741 active cases, with 32 persons in healthcare facilities across the country. Seven of these patients are in the Intensive Care Unit at the Ocean View Hospital.