Nine people have died of the coronavirus in Suriname in the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 85, as other CARICOM countries also registered deaths from the virus.
The authorities in Suriname said never before have so many coronavirus deaths been reported in the country.
Suriname now has 4, 346 positive cases after 26 were found to be infected over the past 24 hours. There are 767 active cases.
“There are 116 people in hospitals, 12 in intensive care units, 674 positives in isolation and 89 non-positives in quarantine. A total of 3,494 people have been healed, 68 of them in the past 24 hours,” the health authorities said in a statement.
Meantime, visitors to the market in Nieuw-Nickerie, the country’s third-largest city, will be subjected to additional measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We have put in markings for a ‘one-way’ system and to ensure that visitors and market vendors keep their distance from each other,” says market master Dawood Khodabaks, noting that not many people will be allowed in the market simultaneously.
The market was closed for two days last week because of a positive case of the virus.
In Jamaica, the Ministry of Health and Wellness said that two more persons died and 60 new cases were recorded over the past 24 hours.
It said that the two latest COVID-19-related deaths are of an 80-year-old female with a history of uncontrolled hypertension and a 42-year-old male who was hypertensive, diabetic and obese. Both deceased were from the capital and died while receiving treatment in hospital. They bring to 32 the number of COVID-19-related deaths.
“Elderly persons and persons with chronic illnesses are at higher risk for severe illness and death. All members of the public must wear masks, wash or sanitise hands frequently, cover coughs and sneezes, clean used surfaces regularly, and stay home if they are ill, in order to protect the vulnerable population,” the Ministry said.
It said that the 60 new positives cases bring to 3,024 the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases for the island.
“At this time, there are 459 imported cases; 673 cases that are contacts of confirmed cases; 236 cases related to the workplace cluster in St. Catherine; 243 cases that are local transmissions (not epidemiologically linked); and 1,413 cases under investigation.”
Jamaica’s recovery numbers are now up to 950 with the discharge of 28 more persons from care. There are currently 1,965 active cases being monitored, including 12 who are moderately ill and seven who are critically ill.
“There are 71 cases who have returned to their countries of origin, in addition to the 32 who have died. There are three cases of coincidental death of a COVID-19-positive individual and three deaths that are under investigation.”
In Trinidad and Tobago, the death of an elderly man with existing health problems pushed the country’s death toll to 34.
The Ministry of Health said that there were 16 positive cases from samples taken between August 25 and September 3.
Trinidad and Tobago has 2, 250 positive cases with 1, 492 active cases.
Haitian health officials said that 10 new cases have pushed the total to 8,336 since the first case was detected on March 19.
They said that there were 2,191 cases while 24, 601 cases have been investigated.
Belize reported 67 new positive cases pushing its total to 1, 261 with 945 being active cases. There have been 15 deaths.
In Guyana, where 46 deaths have been recorded since the first case in mid-March, the country recorded nine new positive cases of the virus, putting its total at 1, 468, with 954 people having recorded.
CMC
