St James’ COVID-19 infection rate at 15 per cent, says medical officer

WESTERN BUREAU:

ST JAMES’ health authorities have revealed that the parish’s average positive infection rate for COVID-19 stands at 15 per cent, which is higher than the national positive average of nine per cent and among the highest rates in western Jamaica.

Dr Francine Phillips-Kelly, the medical officer for St James, provided the statistics on Wednesday during a special meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation, which was attended by Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton. The meeting formed part of Tufton’s visit to the region in the wake of western Jamaica becoming a hotbed for the spread of the pandemic.

“In general, and especially when we look at areas such as the transport centre and Sam Sharpe Square, where persons are just passing through, we are seeing a high positivity rate. It underscores the fact that we have community spread, it is rampant throughout the parish, and we do not have the luxury of relaxing because 15 per cent is above the average national positivity rate, which is below 10 per cent,” Phillips-Kelly told the meeting.

The medical officer noted that the authorities have got back 20 out of 100 volunteered samples which were recently taken in the downtown district, and roughly three of the 20 have tested positive for COVID-19.

A public space intervention took place last week in Sam Sharpe Square, and these were not individuals who necessarily had symptoms; tests were being done, available for free, and they were willing and were tested. Of the 100 cases that we sampled that day, we have gotten back 20 results already, and of those 20 results, we already have a 15 per cent positivity rate,” Phillips-Kelly outlined.

On Tuesday evening, St James’ record stood at 1,256 overall infections and 46 deaths from COVID-19. There are currently 121 active cases, 21 of which are currently in hospital.

LACK OF OBEDIENCE

So far in western Jamaica, St James has the third-highest positivity rate, behind Westmoreland with a positivity rate of 30 per cent and Hanover with 17 per cent. Out of Jamaica’s current total of 11,907 recorded COVID-19 cases, St James also has the third-highest number of recorded cases islandwide, behind Kingston and St Andrew’s 3,751 and St Catherine’s 2,561.

Tufton voiced concern about the infection rate in western Jamaica and the lack of obedience to COVID-19 safety protocols in the region.

“We are concerned about the west because the west is where the most activity is now taking place from a COVID-19 ‘virus spread’ perspective. What the intelligence on the ground is suggesting is that too many people are just not observing the protocols, because we are still having the parties and people just do not seem to take this thing seriously unless they are directly affected,” said Tufton.