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Caribbean countries, while making an impressive rally in recent days, officially surpassed more than 10,000 deaths this week as the fevered and ever-evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic relentlessly batters the region. 

It is a sobering milestone, showing how badly the infectious disease and its deadly variants has walloped the Caribbean, as it took eight months for the region to first hit 5,000 deaths in November 2020. Just five months later, in April 2021, and over 5,000 more lives have been lost.

Amid its impact, the region recorded its 36th consecutive week of maintaining majority closed cases. 

Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic still rank as the region’s four worst-hit territories; COVID-19 outbreaks are currently threatening Guadeloupe, Martinique and Trinidad and Tobago.

Over the last six days, countries across the Caribbean registered more closed cases (22,067) than new infections (19,049).

Analysis of regional data by Our Today has indicated that 28 of the 32 affected countries and territories reported new cases within the last 24 hours.

As at 4:39 pm Greenwich Meridian Time (GMT) on Thursday, April 29, collated data from respective health departments across the region has indicated a combined total of 710,800 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Of that number, some 475,113 cases, or roughly 66.8 per cent, have officially been declared closed. There are currently 235,687 active cases regionally.

The statistics were largely the result of patients across the Caribbean reporting a full recovery from the infectious disease (464,991 recoveries to date, barring insufficient data from Puerto Rico, French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique).

In the meantime, the total number of patients who succumbed to coronavirus-related complications spiked to 10,122.

Across the Caribbean, St Kitts and Nevis and Montserrat remain the only territories without active cases.

See Our Today’s latest situational analysis on COVID-19 in the Caribbean below:

Confirmed cases to date: 710,800
Deaths: 10,122
Recoveries: 464,991*
Active cases: 235,687*

*—Data from Health Departments and Agencies across the Caribbean. (Full or partial recovery statistics have not been forthcoming from Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Martinique)

Dominican Republic: 395 new cases; 266,214 confirmed. 3,471 patients have died. (224,746 patients have recovered)

Puerto Rico: 310 new cases; 130,671 confirmed. 2,296 patients have died. (*No information available on recoveries)

Cuba: 1,149 new cases; 105,661 confirmed. 632 patients have died. (99,630 recoveries)

Jamaica: 122 new cases; 45,414 confirmed. 770 patients have died. (20,945 recoveries)

French Guiana: 140 new cases; 19,404 confirmed. 100 patients have died. (9,995 recoveries)

Guadeloupe: 886 new cases; 14,555 confirmed. 198 patients have died. (2,242 recoveries)

Haiti: 18 new cases; 13,017 confirmed. 254 patients have died. (12,143 recoveries)

Guyana: 137 new cases; 12,963 confirmed. 293 patients have died. (11,070 recoveries)

Belize: Eight new cases; 12,639 confirmed. 323 patients have died. (12,198 recoveries)

Curaçao: 17 new cases;  12,163 confirmed. 108 patients have died. (11,446 recoveries)

Martinique: 642 new cases; 11,253 confirmed. 75  patients have died. (124 recoveries)

Aruba: 15 new cases; 10,585 confirmed. 98 patients have died. (10,298 recoveries)

The Bahamas: 66 new cases; 10,349 confirmed. 198 patients have died. (9,421 recoveries)

Suriname: 61 new cases; 10,281 confirmed. 201 patients have died. (9,249 recoveries)

Trinidad and Tobago: 223 new cases; 10,170 confirmed. 163 patients have died. (8,351 recoveries)

St Lucia: Six new cases; 4,508 confirmed. 74 patients have died. (4,350 recoveries)

Barbados: Seven new cases; 3,838 confirmed. 44 patients have died. (3,759 recoveries)

US Virgin Islands: Five new cases; 3,098 confirmed. 27 patients have died. (3,011 recoveries)

Turks & Caicos Islands: Two new cases; 2,386 confirmed. 17 patients have died. (2,342 recoveries)

Bermuda: 12 new cases; 2,374 confirmed. 24 patients have died. (1,768 recoveries)

Sint Maarten: Six new cases; 2,226 confirmed. 27 patients have died. (2,184 recoveries)

St Vincent and the Grenadines: Five new cases; 1,855 confirmed. 11 patients have died. (1,712 recoveries)

St Martin: 25 new cases; 1,745 confirmed. 12 patients have died. (1,399 recoveries)

Antigua and Barbuda: No new cases; 1,232 confirmed. 32 patients have died. (1,014 recoveries)

Saint-Barthélemy: 16 new cases; 974 confirmed. One patient has died. (462 recoveries)

Cayman Islands: One new case; 542 confirmed. Two patients have died. (521 recoveries)

British Virgin Islands: No new cases; 194 confirmed. One patient has died. (189 recoveries)

Dominica: One new case; 174 confirmed. (172 recoveries)

Grenada: One new case; 160 confirmed. One patient has died. (158 recoveries)

Anguilla: Four new cases; 91 confirmed. (29 recoveries)

Countries without active cases

St Kitts and Nevis: No active cases. (Previously confirmed 44 cases)

Montserrat: No active cases. (Previously confirmed 20 cases, one patient died)