CMO appeals for greater vigilance as Ja hits new COVID case record

Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, is appealing to Jamaicans, especially young people, to be extra careful in their prevention against contracting COVID-19 so as to limit exposure.

“There has been an increase in the number of social gatherings across the country, especially in the Corporate Area. These events will increase exposure and infections. The younger age groups who attend these functions are likely to become infected but will have mild symptoms. They are, however, spreading to the older and more vulnerable populations leading to an increase in hospitalisations and severe illness.

“In addition, the increase number of cases in the 20 to 39 age group continues to drive the infection rate, putting the entire population at risk for more restrictive measures,” Bisasor McKenzie was quoted as saying in a media release issued today by the Ministry.

This came against the background of Jamaica’s daily COVID-19 case count hitting another record high with 328 positive cases identified in the last 24 hours.

The health ministry says the confirmed cases came from the 2,089 samples that were tested at the National Public Health Lab and the National Influenza Centre.

It added that the positivity rate for the period has now increased from 14.3% on Thursday to 15.70% on Friday.

Kingston & St Andrew (70), St James (53), Manchester (49) and St Catherine (43) are the parishes with the highest number of cases recorded in the 24-hour period, the Ministry noted.

The number of active cases in Jamaica has now increased to 4,074 with some 130 COVID-19 positive patients in hospital across the island.

Among the patients who are in hospital, 21 are moderately ill, while 17 are in critical condition.

Bisasor McKenzie says Jamaicans must adhere to the provisions under the Disaster Risk Management Act, even as they increase their vigilance to the infection prevention and control measures - washing hands frequently or using hand sanitiser, keeping a physical distance of six feet from others; wearing masks and avoiding crowded situations.

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