COVID-19 cases spiking again; Health Min. urges responsible behaviour

COVID-19 infections in Guyana are on the rise once again, prompting another serious call from the Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony for persons to act in a responsible manner as the New Year festivities kick-off.

The Health Minister in his daily COVID-19 update on Friday revealed that COVID-19 cases have moved from double digits to triple digits in a matter of days and this can be attributed to the many activities being held and persons not following the set guidelines.

“Over the last day or two, we have seen an increase in cases. Yesterday, we have seen 161 new cases. Today we have 178 new cases,” he said.

According to the Minister, most of the cases are seen in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) with hot spots noted as South Ruimveldt, Providence, Eccles and Diamond.

Other hot spots in the country include Wismar, Linden; New Amsterdam in Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne) and Lethem in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

And though, the Ministry of Health has been increasing capacity through health facilities to handle more cases, the Minister noted that Guyana can quickly expect a surge if persons don’t take precautions.

“We have to be careful, because the doubling time is much shorter with these cases and, unfortunately, if this trend continues, we will have to brace ourselves for more cases,” he said.