Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Carissa Etienne, says the entity has received major donor support for efforts to ensure that member countries have equitable access to safe and effective coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines when one is approved. Among these, she said, is the Government of Canada, which has committed CA$255 million through the World Health Organization (WHO)...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) COVID-19 Ambassador Programme has been instrumental in the promotion and public education of the COVID-19 safety protocols at the community level. The initiative was launched in October to communicate the practice of the protocols’ four pillars – social distancing, mask wearing, sanitising and hand washing –...

Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says that the western parishes of St. James, Westmoreland and Hanover are helping to drive the uptick in the cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country. He noted that the positivity rate for the virus in the three parishes is higher than the national average. “We have a national...

Assistant Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, says additional agreements are being negotiated with two coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine manufacturers for inclusion in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility. Speaking during PAHO’s COVID-19 digital briefing on Wednesday (December 16), Dr. Barbosa said those agreements, when concluded, will bring the number to...

Medical Officer of Health for St. James, Dr. Marcia Johnson-Campbell, is encouraging parents to continue taking their children to be vaccinated at public health centres, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. “The benefits of having the child vaccinated far outweigh any risk of [getting] COVID. So, getting the child vaccinated on time must be considered a priority,” she said in an interview...

Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says there will be no let-up in the Government’s fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19), even with the encouraging news that vaccines are now being distributed in both the United States and Great Britain. He said that Jamaica cannot afford to relax its health and safety guidelines, especially since the vaccines might...

Medical Officer of Health for St. James, Dr. Marcia Johnson-Campbell, is encouraging parents of children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes to educate them about the illness. “Teach them about the medication; teach them about managing their diet. It may be difficult in terms of restricting them from some of the things they would want to eat but cannot eat, but...