15 new cases of COVID-19

Some 15 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 from 68 tests done in past 24 hours, the Ministry of Public Health announced Friday afternoon.
The total number of active cases has now moved to 109 and the total recoveries also at 109.
Persons are again reminded to continue practising social distancing in the workplace, public spaces, and while using public transportation to reduce the spread of the coronavirus disease. They are also reminded to practise frequent hand washing/sanitising and always wear a face mask if they have to go out. As of June 25, 2020, the WHO has reported that globally the confirmed cases stand at 9,296,202 with 479,133 deaths. While in the Regions of the Americas, positive cases have reached 4,604,134 with a total of 230,165 deaths.

Only on Wednesday the Director of the Pan American Health Organization, Carissa F. Etienne said that “in the absence of effective treatments or a widely available vaccine, we expect that over the next two years the Region of the Americas will experience recurring COVID-19 outbreaks, which may be interspersed with periods of limited transmission.”
“In the face of a fast-changing pandemic, leadership will make or break our response. Now is the time for leaders to reach across political divisions and geographic borders to rally the support for a response commensurate to this unprecedented crisis,” Etienne added during a press briefing Wednesday.

Cases of COVID-19 in the Americas have topped 4.5 million, with 226,000 deaths as of June 23. Since last month, cases have tripled in Latin America and the Caribbean from almost 690,000 in May 23, to more than 2 million today. “There is now widespread transmission in most of Central America. In South America this weekend, Brazil surpassed one million COVID-19 cases, joining the United States as the only other country in the world with cases in the six digits. The Caribbean is faring better but with hot-spots on the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, as well as within the Guyanese shield,” she said.

“We must be realistic about the future: all of us must adjust to a new way of life and redefine our sense of normal,” Etienne added. On Wednesday Guyana recorded three new cases. The new cases were discovered after health authorities conducted 78 tests between Tuesday and Wednesday. Health authorities have so far tested 2,222 persons, with 2,017 proving negative and 209 positive. Of the positive cases, 107 persons have recovered to date while 12 persons have lost their lives. But, health authorities are still monitoring 90 active cases, of which 89 are in institutional isolation and one in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).