CMO cautions that Jamaica remains vulnerable to COVID

Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie is cautioning that Jamaica remains vulnerable to new COVID variants even as it seeks to recover from the pandemic.

In recent weeks, infection rates have been lowered but vaccination take up remains sluggish.

“We saw what happened with Omicron. Every country, despite how many cases they had, despite how many vaccinations they had, they were all vulnerable to Omicron and all their numbers soared. We remain vulnerable to new variants,” she told The Gleaner. 

Bisasor McKenzie was speaking ahead of her participation in the 2022 staging of the Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run this morning.

The CMO explained that because of Jamaica's vaccination levels, the country is also at risk of severe infections. 

To date, only 24 percent of the population has been vaccinated against COVID-19. 

“We know that vaccination protects against severe illness. If we are only there, we are vulnerable to severe infections, if we get a variant that will cause severe illness,” she said. 

As COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease, the CMO urged Jamaicans to proceed with caution.  

“We are doing pretty well now and everybody's fingers are crossed that we will not have a new variant that will send us in another surge but right now, I think we are taking positive steps to opening up - slowly but certainly surely,” the country's chief medical officer remarked. 

She is hoping that with the reopening of school, more children will be able to take home the message of infection control.

“When kids learn the right things, they try to pass on that message as much as possible. I think we have a good opportunity to spread the message even more. The new normal is going to mean for us that we continue with infection prevention and control measures,” she said. 

Meanwhile, Bisasor-McKenzie has commended Sagicor and all other corporate entities that have given significant support to the health sector in Jamaica's fight against COVID-19. 

This year the event was aimed at raising funds more than $50 million for the Kingston Public Hospital.

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