NEW CASES 24 HRS OVERALL NOTES Confirmed Cases 197 4,571   SEX CLASSIFICATION       Males 88 2,057   Females 107 2,499   Under Investigation 2 15   AGE RANGE 2.5 months to 86 years 13 days to 97 years             PARISH CLASSIFICATION OF CASES       St. Catherine 35 1,140   Kingston...

Antigen testing, which is a faster, simpler and more cost effective method of testing for the coronavirus (COVID-19) will be introduced in Jamaica. This was announced by Acting Head of the National Public Health Laboratory, Dr. Michelle Hamilton, who informed that an initial 80,000 testing kits will be arriving in Jamaica in approximately four weeks. She noted that the antigen...

Regional Vector Control Officer, Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Ryan Morris, is urging continued vigilance by residents in searching for and destroying mosquito-breeding sites, in light of the increased rainfall affecting western parishes. Speaking in an interview with JIS News, he noted that the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika, primarily breeds in clean water, which...

* The five (5) new COVID-19 Related deaths are: • An 81-year-old female from Kingston & St Andrew who had Congestive cardiac failure, Diabetes and Hypertension • A 71-year-old-female from St Catherine, who had Diabetes and Hypertension • A 69-year-old male from Kingston & St Andrew **Two (2) deaths were formerly placed under investigation have been confirmed as COVID-19 Related...

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, says data on the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the state of public health systems and service delivery must guide member countries’ decisions and plans to reopen their borders and resume social life. Speaking during PAHO’s COVID-19 digital briefing on Wednesday (September 16), Dr. Etienne said this approach must incorporate...

Some 116,000 premises in western parishes were inspected for mosquito-breeding sites in August, as the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) intensifies vector control activities in light of the recent increase in rainfall. Regional Vector Control Officer at the WRHA, Ryan Morris, said that the heightened activities have resulted in a decline in the region’s Aedes index to seven per cent,...

Acting Parish Nutritionist for Westmoreland, Gladoris Robinson-Reid, is encouraging mothers who have contracted the coronavirus (COVID-19) to continue to breastfeed, but they should take the necessary safety precautions to avoid passing on the virus to their babies. The advice is in keeping with the recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO) that mothers suspected or confirmed with COVID-19 should be...