18-year-old is Guam’s 130th COVID death

An 18-year-old woman with no known medical history has become Guam’s 130th COVID-19-related fatality, even as six new cases of COVID-19 were identified in Guam last Feb. 6.

According to the Joint Information Center, the young patient passed away at the Guam Memorial Hospital on Feb. 7 at approximately 9:15am. JIC stated that the patient was admitted to the GMH Emergency Room last Feb. 7 and tested positive upon evaluation.

“To her family and friends, [first gentleman] Jeff [Cook], Lt. Gov. Josh [Tenorio], and I express our condolences and sympathies. Please know you are not alone in your grief,” said Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero. She added that Guam’s residents “can’t forget the necessary precautions” to keep the island safe.

This is Guam’s first death after two weeks. Guam announced its 129th death last Jan. 25—a 50-year-old man who’d been hospitalized with COVID-19 since just before Christmas.

Additionally, JIC announced it had already administered 35,337 doses of the Moderna Inc. and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to date. More than 8,700 people have received both doses. Guam’s population is about 167,000.

Naval Base Guam was able to inoculate its front-line personnel last Jan. 4, and Andersen Air Force Base began doing so about a week later.

JIC reported six new cases of COVID-19 that were identified out of 99 tests performed last Saturday.

To date, there have been a total of 7,649 cases of COVID-19 in Guam, with 130 deaths, 103 cases in active isolation, and 7,416 not in active isolation.

COVID-19 on Saipan

During his radio news briefing last Friday, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres reiterated the importance of getting vaccinated, saying “we all have a role in bringing back tourism.”

Torres stated that getting the community vaccinated will also bring back the revenue that the CNMI needs. “Until the COVID-19 issue is addressed, we can’t expect our tourism market to reopen anytime soon. That’s why it’s very critical that our information goes out to our community to get vaccinated,” said Torres.

He encouraged community members to register to get vaccinated if they haven’t done so yet.

Just by taking the vaccine, the community is helping rebuild the economy, and not only protecting themselves, but also the people they love, Torres added.

Another factor that Torres emphasized why it’s important to get the CNMI’s tourism market back up is so that people could go back to a full 80-hour biweekly work period, employment, and other opportunities. “The only way for us to get back to [an 80-hour biweekly work period], the only way for us to get employment…and other opportunities is to get our tourism back, so the faster we get our community tested and vaccinated, the faster we get in the right direction in bringing back our tourism market,” said Torres.