The surge in covid-19 cases has started to affect public health workers with 48 employees of the University Hospital of West Indies contracting the respiratory illness.
Radio Jamaica News has obtained a copy of a memo to workers at the hospital which states that most of those who have tested positive contracted the virus since Christmas Eve after attending many gatherings last weekend and have infected other staff members.
The memo says this is taking a toll on the University Hospital as the virus is sweeping through the staff.
It urged the hospital workers to take the threat of the virus more seriously this weekend and adhere to covid-19 protocols.
Employees of the hospital who are experiencing covid like symptoms or have been exposed to a positive case outside of work, have been told not to show up duties, inform their supervisor and call the Occupational Health Unit as soon as possible.
When contacted this afternoon the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association confirmed that a number of its members have tested positive for covid in recent days.
President of the Association, Dr. Mindi Fitz-Henley, told Radio Jamaica News that a number of doctors at the University Hospital, Kingston Public Hospital and Cornwall Regional Hospital are ill.
Dr. Fitz-Henley linked this to the high number of covid-19 patients being treated at the institutions.
“Unfortunately we also have members who are currently out sick with COVID. You have to remember that at the hospital we are in very high contacts areas, while we are directly treating patients who have COVID-19 or complications. So just based on our contact, we are at a higher risk of contacting COVID. People need to wear their masks, a real proper fitting mask. They need to physically distancing from other people and if they are sick they need to stay home. We knew that this would be the repercussions ..”
She disclosed that the majority of ill doctors have mild symptoms of covid.
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