Medical Officer of Health for Westmoreland, Dr. Marcia Graham, is calling on residents in the parish not to get complacent in protecting themselves against dengue fever. The dengue outbreak was declared over recently by Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton. Addressing the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation meeting on July 9 in Savanna-la-Mar, Dr. Graham said although the...

A state-of-the-art High-Dependency Unit (HDU) for neonatal and maternal care has been opened at the Bustamante Hospital for Children. The 4,359 square-foot facility, established at a cost of $315 million, provides specialised bed spaces for critically ill neonates. It comprises 10 beds (including two isolation rooms), a nurses’ station, one sluice room, a breastfeeding area and a restroom. It is...

Jamaica has recorded three new COVID-19 cases and 15 more recoveries as at Tuesday (July 14). This brings to 762 the total number of positives and to 643 the number of recoveries. The newly confirmed cases are all imported and are comprised of two females and one male. Their ages range from 27 to 55 years. Two of the cases...

Effective Tuesday (July 21), sports bars will be allowed to reopen their doors for business. This was announced by Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, who said these venues will be conditionally opened until July 31. The Government had ordered the closure of these establishments, as part of measures to control the spread of the coronavirus...

With cruise shipping at a standstill and stopover arrivals just returning, one popular tourist attraction – Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios, St. Ann – has set its sights firmly on the local market. In an interview with JIS News, the attraction’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Michael Drakulich, said that prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Mystic Mountain had been creating...

This year’s Heritage Competitions, hosted by the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), will open on Emancipation Day, Saturday, August 1. Students from primary, secondary and tertiary institutions are invited to submit compelling essays, artwork and photographs under the overarching theme ‘Justice, brotherhood and peace’. Chief Executive Officer of the JIS, Donna-Marie Rowe, said that this year’s competitions are designed to help...

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, says the entity is actively involved in negotiations to secure the best arrangements for regional member countries to access adequate supplies of a vaccine for the coronavirus (COVID-19), when one is developed. This is being done under the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility. The COVAX Facility...