Five Cubans, two Berbicians add to COVID-19 cases in Region Six

Region Six, East Berbice /Corentyne, has recorded seven new COVID-19 cases within the past 24 hours. This was disclosed by Regional Chairman David Armogan during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

He noted that among the cases are five Cuban nationals who entered the country illegally via the backtrack route from Suriname. The two others are Berbicians.

There are presently 16 persons in institutional quarantine while five are in isolation in the region. Thus far, a total of 93 persons have been tested in Region Six.

Of the 16 persons in quarantine, 13 are foreign nationals that entered Guyana illegally. The five Cubans who tested positive were from a group of six who were apprehended by authorities while seven more were tested and their results are expected soon.

From the group of seven, a Guyanese male who was said to a taxi driver escaped from the quarantine facility before he could have been tested and is being sought by authorities. He is said to be from Region 4.

The two positive Berbice patients are a female from the Fort Ordinance area and a male from Upper Corentyne.

The female was a patient at the New Amsterdam Hospital and was recovering when she started to experience respiratory symptoms and was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she tested positive.

The News Room understands that the woman had several visitors from various Regions across Guyana, including her husband and daughter who both spent time in Region Four prior to visiting her.

The male patient was scheduled to leave the country and was tested positive prior to his intended departure; he is said to be asymptomatic.

Both patients’ immediate families have been placed in home quarantine while contact tracing has commenced for others who they have been in contact with.

Region Six recorded its first case of the virus in March – a female patient who returned from the United States of America. The elderly woman subsequently died.