Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony
“You can see in January of this year, we would have exceeded all of those numbers in terms of testing, so we have been testing quite a lot,” Dr Anthony said.
While the government will continue to do testing, “a proper and targeted” use of these tests is now being implemented.
Only symptomatic persons will be tested using the antigen test and if positive, a repeat PCR test will not be done. In terms of PCR testing, only patients in hospitals and those accessing emergency services, as well as high-risk persons, will be tested.
“This is very important because what we see is persons coming and clogging up the system, not having any symptoms, just believing that they should be tested and might not have been exposed,” Dr Anthony stressed.
Vaccination
“In terms of vaccination, we continue to see a steady increase,” Dr Anthony said.
For the first dose adults, 81.8 per cent received the jab while 59.8 per cent received their second dose. For children aged 12 to 17, 43.9 per cent received their first dose and 30.9 per cent received their second dose.
Booster shots have now increased to 31, 124.
With a massive surge in COVID-19 cases, Guyana suspects that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is here as the authorities are awaiting confirmation.
“If you want to fight Omicron, it is not just first dose vaccine, you got to get the second dose and you also have to get your booster dose,” Dr Anthony urged.
Recently, there have been scores of persons flocking the Umana Yana in Georgetown for testing and to collect their results. But Dr Anthony advised persons to seek other health centres in Georgetown for these services.
“You don’t have to go to just one site, you have health centres in your community that are able to do antigen testing, so please go to those health centres that are nearest to you instead of going to one site.”
COVID Hotspots
Region One – Mabaruma (41 cases)
Region Three
Parfaite Harmonie (198 cases)
Tuschen (122 cases)
Pouderoyen (82 cases)
Crane (75 cases)
Goed Fortuin (65 cases)
Uitvlugt (63 cases)
Cornelia Ida (60 cases)
Westminster (53 cases)
La Grange (53 cases)
Region Four
Diamond (248 cases)
Grove (197 cases)
Eccles (117 cases)
Herstelling (109 cases)
Providence (105 cases)
Mocha (55 cases)
Soesdyke (44 cases)
Non Pareil (74 cases)
Mon repos (62 cases)
Better Hope (60 cases)
Haslington (57 cases)
Paradise (50 cases)
Georgetown
Kitty (406 cases)
Sophia (310 cases)
South Ruimveldt (245 cases)
Campbellville (222 cases)
Cummings (220 cases)
Lodge (140 cases)
West Ruimveldt (138 cases)
Turkeyen (113 cases)
