Reading Time: 4 minutes

Fuelled by more infectious variants, the rate of spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) persists across the Caribbean, however, countries get a needed reprieve this week as the region also recorded over 500,000 recoveries to date.

While maintaining mostly closed cases for the 38th week, the Caribbean registered more new infections (22,966) than closed cases (14,067) in the last seven days.

Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic still rank as the four worst-hit territories in the Caribbean. Cases continue to trend upwards in Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

Analysis of regional data by Our Today has indicated that 23 of the 32 affected countries and territories reported new cases within the last 24 hours.

As at 7:00 pm Greenwich Meridian Time (GMT) on Monday, May 17, collated data from respective health departments across the region has indicated a combined total of 766,753 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Of that number, some 513,648 cases, or roughly 67 per cent, have officially been declared closed. There are currently 253,105 active cases regionally.

The statistics were largely the result of patients across the Caribbean reporting a full recovery from the infectious disease (502,619 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 11,029.

There are now four Caribbean territories without active cases, namely St Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Dominica and Grenada.

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

Confirmed cases to date: 766,753
Deaths: 11,029
Recoveries: 502,619*
Active cases: 253,105*

*—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: 731 new cases; 277,919 confirmed. 3,589 patients have died. (234,098 patients have recovered)

Puerto Rico: 308 new cases; 136,963 confirmed. 2,438 patients have died. (*No information available on recoveries)

Cuba: 1,057 new cases; 125,511 confirmed. 814 patients have died. (117,749 recoveries)

Jamaica: 77 new cases; 47,396 confirmed. 863 patients have died. (22,898 recoveries)

French Guiana: 32 new cases; 21,465 confirmed. 108 patients have died. (9,995 recoveries)

Trinidad and Tobago: 356 new cases; 16,255 confirmed. 285 patients have died. (10,208 recoveries)

Guadeloupe: 657 new cases; 15,360 confirmed. 221 patients have died. (2,242 recoveries)

Guyana: 103 new cases; 15,271 confirmed. 341 patients have died. (12,967 recoveries)

Haiti: 67 new cases; 13,460 confirmed. 271 patients have died. (12,435 recoveries)

Belize: Five new cases; 12,714 confirmed. 323 patients have died. (12,337 recoveries)

Curaçao: Two new cases;  12,256 confirmed. 114 patients have died. (12,069 recoveries)

Suriname: 122 new cases; 11,950 confirmed. 228 patients have died. (10,237 recoveries)

Martinique: 178 new cases; 11,736 confirmed. 90  patients have died. (124 recoveries)

The Bahamas: 50 new cases; 11,184 confirmed. 220 patients have died. (10,059 recoveries)

Aruba: Five new cases; 10,854 confirmed. 104 patients have died. (10,662 recoveries)

St Lucia: No new cases; 4,818 confirmed. 76 patients have died. (4,521 recoveries)

Barbados: One new case; 3,968 confirmed. 46 patients have died. (3,932 recoveries)

US Virgin Islands: Three new cases; 3,270 confirmed. 27 patients have died. (3,180 recoveries)

Bermuda: Four new cases; 2,466 confirmed. 32 patients have died. (2,250 recoveries)

Turks & Caicos Islands: No new cases; 2,404 confirmed. 17 patients have died. (2,369 recoveries)

Sint Maarten: Five new cases; 2,282 confirmed. 27 patients have died. (2,223 recoveries)

St Vincent and the Grenadines: Three new cases; 1,940 confirmed. 12 patients have died. (1,774 recoveries)

St Martin: No new cases; 1,773 confirmed. 12 patients have died. (1,399 recoveries)

Antigua and Barbuda: One new case; 1,241 confirmed. 33 patients have died. (1,179 recoveries)

Saint-Barthélemy: No new cases; 974 confirmed. One patient has died. (462 recoveries)

Cayman Islands: Four new cases; 565 confirmed. Two patients have died. (547 recoveries)

British Virgin Islands: 29 new cases; 248 confirmed. One patient has died. (209 recoveries)

Anguilla: No new cases; 109 confirmed. (95 recoveries)

Countries without active cases

St Kitts and Nevis: No active cases. (Previously confirmed 45 cases)

Grenada: No active cases. (Previously confirmed 161 cases, one patient died)

Dominica: No active cases. (Previously confirmed 175 cases)

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