Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, is urging Jamaicans to take the highly contagious coronavirus (COVID-19) Omicron variant seriously. “I urge us as a people, and those who comment and are influencers in the society, not to create a false sense of complacency and security because we have all concluded that the [variant] may be a...

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, is lamenting the low level of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination take-up, especially among the nation’s most vulnerable. She is imploring the elderly and persons who are immunocompromised and/or who are living with a chronic illness, such as diabetes and hypertension, to get vaccinated, as this is the best way to protect themselves against severe...

The Ministry of Health & Wellness invites members of the public to attend a vaccination site on Saturday and Sunday, January 8 and 9, 2022 to receive their first or second dose of the AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and  Johnson & Johnson vaccine for persons 18 years and older. Jamaicans 12 years and older will also be offered the first and second...

The Black River Hospital (BRH) in St. Elizabeth has received 9 wheelchairs, 2 walkers and 2 crutches, valued at J $400, 000, to boost its patient care. The items were donated to the hospital on Wednesday, January 5, 2022 by owner of Hardware & Plumbing Supply Ltd. and a native of St. Elizabeth, Howard Bailey. CEO for the hospital, Diana...

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says visiting unauthorised facilities to be tested for COVID-19 poses a higher risk for an inaccurate test result. Speaking at a COVID Conversations virtual press briefing on January 6, he said Jamaicans should exercise caution in this regard, as unauthorised testing sites may not provide adequate training and resources to...

Minister of Transport and Mining, Hon. Robert Montague, has officially launched the bauxite and alumina company, WINDALCO’s US$4-million project to control caustic effluent from impacting the environment. Under the programme, the Ewarton, St. Catherine-based company is constructing a second Effluent Holding Pond (EHP), and increasing the capacity of the old pond to prevent spillages into a nearby river. Minister Montague...

Cabinet has approved the award of a US$959,094 contract for the continued provision of consulting services for the compensation review for the Government of Jamaica. The contract has been awarded to Ernst and Young Services Limited. This was disclosed by Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, during a virtual post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday (January 5). The...

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says vaccines for children under 12 years of age are not yet available on the market. “My understanding is that stocks would have been bought or controlled by the more industrialised countries and one would have to negotiate with the manufacturers through those entities, in order to access them at...

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, is again imploring Jamaicans to get vaccinated, especially in light of the fourth wave of the coronavirus (COVID-19), from which the more contagious Omicron variant has emerged. Speaking at a virtual COVID Conversations press briefing, on Thursday (January 6), he reminded that mainly unvaccinated persons are being hospitalised with severe...