Key Points

After five consecutive weeks of increases, the epidemic has leveled off, with the regional incidence rate falling (-24%) to 8,353 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The effective R value (SIDEP) was below 1.14, down from last week’s figure, also reflecting the observed slowdown. This downward trend appears to be continuing into the current week, suggesting that the peak of this wave was reached in early January.

General practice visits for acute respiratory infections remain high but are declining, reflecting the slowing spread of the virus in the population. New hospitalizations across all departments are stable. However, only 31% of
these are directly related to COVID-19 care.

New admissions to intensive care are on the rise (17 weekly admissions), while the number of deaths remains stable, confirming the milder nature of Omicron and the time lag typically observed between a reduction in transmission and an improvement in hospital metrics.

Vaccination coverage for booster shots continues to progress well; nearly 22% of Guyanese over the age of 50 have already received one, and more than 50% of them have already received two doses.