Golding advances COVID response proposals to prevent 'terrifying days'

Opposition Leader Mark Golding has made a raft of proposals to respond to the surge in COVID cases warning that Jamaica risks sombre and terrifying days if it fails to act now.

“More than ever, we must be vigilant to stop the spread of the virus,” Golding said in a national broadcast.

He has reiterated that vaccination is the best tool to prevent hospitalisations and deaths.

Jamaica has been seeing a rapid surge in COVID cases with the daily positivity rate now averaging above 40 per cent.

Deaths have also been climbing with 37 per cent of total fatalities recorded in the past three months.

Meanwhile, August alone has seen 14,894 infections, almost nine times the 1,583 cases in June this year.

Golding said he has written to the Prime Minister calling for him to convene a summit to identify workable responses to the “extremely desperate” situation now facing Jamaica.

Golding's COVID response suggestions:

1. A high-level public/private sector committee should be tasked with governance of the procurement of oxygen supplies and the logistics of oxygen delivery, with a clear mandate to plan for demand.

2. Oxygen generators should be brought into Jamaica on an emergency basis, to avoid shortage.

3. Equipment to test for variants must be prioritised for purchase and deployment.

4. Dedicated staff facility for healthcare workers to ensure that they are looked after well and promptly if they fall ill while serving on the front lines.

5. Make some vaccines available to private medical facilities to vaccinate their patients, with counselling from their trusted doctors.

6. Introduce more community facilities to be used as vaccination centres, supplemented by the deployment of mobile units.

7. Mobile units should be used for the purpose of taking vaccines to persons with disabilities and those who are otherwise unable to travel.

8. COVID testing upon arrival in Jamaica and follow-up by the public health system should be rigorously enforced.

9. All visitors should be vaccinated.

Golding also wants the government to use the $9 billion in surplus for the April to June quarter of this fiscal year to protect vulnerable Jamaicans.

"We should also allocate some of it so that supplies for hospitals do not run out," he said.

The Opposition Leader has also repeated calls for the GCT on laptops and tablets to be removed. 

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com