Surveillance continues in Portmore as COVID cases rise

 

Health authorities are continuing surveillance in Portmore, St. Catherine where there are at least 90 active cases of COVID-19.

 

Almost twenty of those cases are in Waterford, where special measures are in effect.

 

Dr. Francia Prosper Chen, Medical Officer of Health for St. Catherine, gave an update on surveillance activities in Waterford.

 

"To date, as of yesterday, we have tested 177 persons and we have received 19 positive results. Ten of those results are still outstanding, so we are awaiting those. We have been able to visit over 2,000 homes, and interacted with persons in households. We are pleased to report that the numbers of persons with symptoms seem to be very low," she revealed.  

 

Dr. Prosper Chen said the intervention in Waterford is "necessary and may have to be extended to other areas in Portmore as we further breakdown the cases and determine where the concentrations are." 

 

She gave a breakdown of the communities in Portmore with cases of the respiratory illness. 

 

"So the other areas of concern are related to around Waterford - we have Bridgeport where we have eight active cases, Cumberland has six, Passage Fort has six, Braeton has five, Independent City, five. Now Greater Portmore has 16 but that is 16 across all of Greater Portmore. The area with the highest concentration there is 2 East, where we have five cases."  

 

Dr. Prosper Chen was speaking Wednesday night at the Portmore Municipal Corporation's General Council Meeting.