Health Ministry foresees increase in COVID-19 cases

The Ministry of Health says the COVID-19 positivity rate and cases are expected to continue rising over the next few weeks. Based on this, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie says the ministry will be boosting its vaccination messaging as it seeks to get more people inoculated amid the increase in cases.

“Yes, we are speaking out more about this and we are trying to focus. Certainly, we have vaccinations still be offered in our facilities. We are looking at how we promote this among [passersby] who may not know because they are not seeing anymore the long lines and wondering if vaccination is going on. So, we are looking at more signage to get persons into our facilities and we continue to advertise on our website where it is that persons can take up vaccines.”   

Dr. Bisasor McKenzie added that she is disappointed the number of Jamaicans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is still just 25 per cent. Another four per cent have received one dose of the vaccine.  

“The number of persons coming in for vaccinations [is] quite low and the number of persons coming to get their booster vaccinations [is] also quite low....  If our numbers are going up, we have the potential of more persons are going to become Covid positive. If you are in that position, we can get a severe illness if you are not vaccinated,” she said. 

During a media briefing Thursday evening, Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton said there is now an upward trend in cases with the seven-day positivity rate at 8.6 per cent. 

The reproductive rate is now at 1.4.

He however said that while the situation is of concern, it's not cause for alarm. 

Tufton said he's anticipating that the number of cases will begin going down quickly, given the experiences of other countries.

The Health Minister also defended the government's decision to relax COVID-19 measures, including the discontinuation of the mask mandate.

He said that while he was unable to disclose the advice given to the government by the health authorities, there is a level of risk in the decision made by the government.

"The mask mandate firstly is not a recommendation not to wear a mask. The mask mandate removal is a policy that says you don't have to, but if you think that you need to, you should assess and wear your mask and therefore, while there is a risk by saying you don't have to, the management of that risk is up to you to say I will where I think I'm at risk. And I think that is an attempt at balance and an attempt...at getting back to normality that we all seek and desire," he said. 

He also said that it's unlikely there will be a return to travel restrictions despite the increase in the COVID-19 positivity rate. 

He disclosed that the critical numbers are the hospitalisations and deaths.

"Those are the figures that we are watching and will continue to watch. And as of now, every death is one too many, but the numbers are far lower when compared with the positivity. I don't think we should live in regret as it relates to the lifting of those restrictions, but we will continue to monitor."