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MAJ President Dr. Brian James
By Prince Moore
There is a call for the government to collaborate with the global medical community to examine the COVID-19 data out of China to devise an appropriate response to a possible increase in cases and the emergence of new variants.
The call has come from the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ).
MAJ President Dr. Brian James says he has taken note of the response from several countries to require passengers arriving from China to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result.
Dr. James says the government should be proactive in responding to the issue, as China's COVID-19 cases have been significantly increasing, and there have been reports of at least one new subvariant of the Omicron.
While the new subvariant has not been shown to cause greater illness than previous Omicron subvariants, Dr. James noted that other countries have examined the data and decided to increase their vigilance with people travelling from China.
He suggested that Jamaica should also assess China'a data as well as "collaborate with the WHO and PAHO and the rest of the global medical community" to make a final decision about the best response to take.
The United States, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan and Italy have already announced testing requirements for travellers from China.
The Parliamentary Opposition on Thursday called for the government to also implement a testing requirement for passengers arriving from the Asian country.
On Wednesday, Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton had said the ministry's technocrats were monitoring the situation with China and would make a decision thereafter.
Despite fewer people needing to be hospitalised for COVID-19 in Jamaica, Dr. James has sought to remind the public that this could change with the emergence of a new variant.
He urged Jamaicans to continue practicing the infection prevention and control measures - such as handwashing, mask wearing, avoiding crowded spaces and getting vaccinated - to prevent another wave of COVID-19 infections.
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