PARAMARIBO, Suriname (CMC)— Two Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries have registered deaths associated with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic while others, including Trinidad and Tobago have registered significant increases of the virus among their populations.

Suriname health authorities said that the COVID-19 death rate in the Dutch –speaking island was adjusted to 193 on Friday evening after two people died from the contagious virus in the past 24 hours.

The health authorities said that of the 253 civilians who were tested, 67 turned out to be infected, bringing the total number of positively tested people nationwide to 9,932. In contrast, there are 9,002 people who have recovered, including 32 in the past 24 hours.

There are 95 civilians in the hospitals, 32 in the intensive-care units, while 263 positive-tested people are placed in isolation.

In Belize, the authorities said one person died while there were four new confirmed cases over the past 24 hours. There are now 100 active cases.

While the authorities did not elaborate on the latest death, it said that the total number of deaths in the country since the first case was detected in March last year, is 321.

According to the official figures, there have been 12, 168 recoveries and 12,599 confirmed cases.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the Ministry of Health reported Friday that there were 104 new COVID-19 cases. There are now 1, 238 active cases. These figures reflect samples taken between April 20 and 22.

The number of deaths remains at 157 and the latest update said 27,697 people have been vaccinated since the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

To date the number of COVID-19 cases is 9,487 and 8,092 people have recovered.

There are 121 patients in hospital, 248 in state quarantine, eight in step-down facilities, and 1,005 in self-isolation. The number of people tested at both private and public facilities is 124,301.

In Guyana, ExxonMobil Guyana on Friday confirmed reports that 14 rotational workers who are supporting operations in the Stabroek Block have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

Exxon’s Public and Government Affairs Advisor, Janelle Persaud, told reporters that most of the cases are “asymptomatic” or individuals with “mild symptoms.

“These individuals have been appropriately isolated to limit the spread of the virus,” Persaud said.

Eleven of the 14 workers who tested positive remain in isolation on the Noble Tom Madden, while three have been transferred to appropriate isolation facilities onshore “under the care and custody of their employer.”

Exxon said, if necessary, plans are in place to safely transport the remaining positive workers onshore.

“Safe and healthy workplaces remain a top priority for ExxonMobil Guyana and its contractors. We have well-established processes in place to manage impacts related to infectious disease outbreaks, which have allowed us to identify these cases early,” the company said in a statement.