COVID-19 Cases Putting Stress On Jamaica’s Hospitals

KINGSTON, Jamaica (Tuesday, August 17, 2021) — The Ministry of Health and Wellness is reporting that public health facilities are under stress from the daily intake of coronavirus (COVID-19) patients.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, said that bed occupancy is at over 600 cases, and daily admissions are now about 70 persons.

She noted that the country is approaching that high period of infection during March and April of this year, where bed occupancy was over 700.

“We are fast approaching that peak, which will put us in a very dangerous zone, in terms of the care for COVID patients in our hospitals. It puts us in a very high level of pressure on the hospital system,” the CMO said, while addressing the weekly COVID Conversations press conference, recently.

She related that 50 to 75 percent of communities are impacted, with new and confirmed cases widespread across the country, and is, therefore, imploring persons to get vaccinated in order to protect themselves and others from the virus.

Meanwhile, Director of Family Health Services in the Ministry, Dr. Melody Ennis, reported that some 65 percent of health workers have been vaccinated, with over 40 percent having gotten their second dose of the vaccine.