Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony is urging citizens to exercise caution as the apparent decrease in active COVID-19 cases may not accurately reflect the true situation in Guyana due to a reduction in persons being tested.
Some 32 new infections were recorded within the last 24 hours, taking the number of active cases in the country to 741, including 386 in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica), 162 in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), 85 in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) and 29 infections in Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice).
Some 28 persons infected by COVID-19 are hospitalised across Guyana, with 21 housed at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara. Five of those patients are in that hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Despite this low number of active cases, Minister Anthony is urging citizens to be vigilant, noting that the figure may not reflect the true reality on the ground because of low testing.
“Though these numbers might seem relatively low, the number can be affected by the amount [sic] of tests that we’re doing in the regions, and if we are not doing a lot of testing in the regions, or people are not coming forward to be tested, the numbers would remain artificially low. And in some regions, we are seeing that because people are not presenting themselves to be tested,” the Minister explained.
