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For the first time since January, closed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases across the Caribbean have all but screeched to a halt, as the pandemic kicks into a new gear. 

Cementing its 35th straight week of maintaining majority closed cases, celebrations might be premature, given that the rate of infection spirals due to confirmation of the UK, Brazilian and now, double-mutation Indian variants regionally. 

Over the last four days, countries across the Caribbean have recorded nearly 10 times as many new infections (15,197) than closed cases (1,899).

Analysis of regional data by Our Today has indicated that 26 of the 32 affected countries and territories reported new cases within the last 24 hours.

As at 2:15 pm Greenwich Meridian Time (GMT) on Friday, April 23, collated data from respective health departments across the region has indicated a combined total of 691,751 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Of that number, some 453,046 cases, or roughly 65.5 per cent, have officially been declared closed. There are currently 238,705 active cases regionally.

The statistics were largely the result of patients across the Caribbean reporting a full recovery from the infectious disease (443,159 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 9,887.

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

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

Confirmed cases to date: 691,751
Deaths: 9,887
Recoveries: 443,159*
Active cases: 238,705*

*—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: 535 new cases; 263,470 confirmed. 3,448 patients have died. (220,678 patients have recovered)

Puerto Rico: 1,172 new cases; 126,384 confirmed. 2,246 patients have died. (*No information available on recoveries)

Cuba: 1,241 new cases; 99,208 confirmed. 569 patients have died. (92,960 recoveries)

Jamaica: 140 new cases; 44,642 confirmed. 752 patients have died. (20,275 recoveries)

French Guiana: 133 new cases; 18,826 confirmed. 98 patients have died. (9,995 recoveries)

Guadeloupe: 952 new cases; 13,669 confirmed. 185 patients have died. (2,242 recoveries)

Haiti: 26 new cases; 12,944 confirmed. 251 patients have died. (11,945 recoveries)

Belize: 11 new cases; 12,596 confirmed. 320 patients have died. (12,164 recoveries)

Guyana: 214 new cases; 12,448 confirmed. 277 patients have died. (10,619 recoveries)

Curaçao: 41 new cases;  12,022 confirmed. 99 patients have died. (10,011 recoveries)

Martinique: 721 new cases; 10,611 confirmed. 68 patients have died. (124 recoveries)

Aruba: 32 new cases; 10,469 confirmed. 95 patients have died. (10,024 recoveries)

The Bahamas: 108 new cases; 9,976 confirmed. 196 patients have died. (9,215 recoveries)

Suriname: 73 new cases; 9,865 confirmed. 191 patients have died. (8,965 recoveries)

Trinidad and Tobago: 104 new cases; 9,487 confirmed. 157 patients have died. (8,092 recoveries)

St Lucia: 11 new cases; 4,455 confirmed. 70 patients have died. (4,290 recoveries)

Barbados: 14 new cases; 3,820 confirmed. 44 patients have died. (3,718 recoveries)

US Virgin Islands: 12 new cases; 3,080 confirmed. 27 patients have died. (2,995 recoveries)

Turks & Caicos Islands: Four new cases; 2,375 confirmed. 17 patients have died. (2,326 recoveries)

Bermuda: 23 new cases; 2,284 confirmed. 23 patients have died. (1,479 recoveries)

Sint Maarten: No new cases; 2,212 confirmed. 27 patients have died. (2,167 recoveries)

St Vincent and the Grenadines: Eight new cases; 1,827 confirmed. 10 patients have died. (1,703 recoveries)

St Martin: 18 new cases; 1,720 confirmed. 12 patients have died. (1,399 recoveries)

Antigua and Barbuda: Five new cases; 1,222 confirmed. 31 patients have died. (995 recoveries)

Saint-Barthélemy: 24 new cases; 958 confirmed. One patient has died. (462 recoveries)

Cayman Islands: No new cases; 531 confirmed. Two patients have died. (509 recoveries)

British Virgin Islands: Seven new cases; 194 confirmed. One patient has died. (187 recoveries)

Dominica: One new case; 173 confirmed. (171 recoveries)

Grenada: No new cases; 159 confirmed. One patient has died. (157 recoveries)

Anguilla: No new cases; 30 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)