Regions 1 & 7 account for 16% of COVID-19 cases; males 29-35 mostly affected

No new case of COVID-19 was confirmed on Friday but the Ministry of Public Health is concerned about the increase of cases in Regions One and Seven.

In its daily update, the Ministry said Moruca in Region One has confirmed nine positive cases while 15 cases were confirmed in Region Seven.

The Ministry of Public Health said the two regions account for 16% of the positive cases.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Shamdeo Persaud that while the common belief is that older persons are more susceptible to contracting the disease, Guyana’s cases have shown that younger males are mostly affected.

“In the breakdown by age group and sex, younger males, among the 25-29 age group are predominantly affected in Region 1 while in Region 7, it is the 30-39 age group,” he said.

He noted that while young men in Region Seven continue mining –an essential job –in order to provide for their families, they must practice social distancing, wear a mask and sanitize their hands often.

“To those who are going home, you must look to the family that you are going home to and all the people you interact with on the way. Life is a treasure that we all need to appreciate, so don’t let us throw it away recklessly, let us collectively be considerate of each other,” he noted.

With 1, 586 persons tested, 150 persons have been tested positive of which there were 11 deaths and 72 active cases. Sixty-Seven persons have since recovered from the disease.

There are two persons in the COVID-19 ICU.