Cornwall Regional Hospital out of COVID-19 bed space

As hospitalisations from covid-19 cases rise across Jamaica, Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay, St. James, has now run out of bed space on the covid-19 ward.

Despite that dilemma, Errol Green, director of the Western Regional Health Authority, told Radio Jamaica News that Cornwall Regional is not turning away patients.

The challenge is not confined to that hospital however as Mr Green confirmed that other hospitals in the region are also nearing their capacity.

The number of patients hospitalised nationwide on Saturday stood at 245, with 29 listed as critically ill and 68 diagnosed as moderately ill.

On February 11, Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton said another 133 beds would have been added in coming days.

Some of those would come from two field hospitals at Falmouth in Trelawny and St. Joseph's Hospital in Kingston, and a temporary structure to be repositioned at Spanish Town Hospital in St. Catherine.

SERHA

The Kingston Metropolitan Region is also facing a possible bed space crunch, with Wentworth Charles, chairman of the South East Regional Health Authority, confirming that the region is also having capacity issues.

He said, while none of  the hospitals throughout St. Catherine, and Kingston and St. Andrew are full, occupancy levels are very high.

Mr. Charles was not able to say when the field hospital will be in place at Spanish Town.