Director of Mental Health and Substance Abuse in the Ministry of Health & Wellness, Dr. Kevin Goulbourne, says caregivers are at increased risk of suffering from mental health disorders as a result of the increased demand on their services due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. He said that in addition to longer working hours, there is also the fear of...

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, is advising that businesses will not need to close their doors to facilitate deep-cleaning activities, in the event of suspected exposure to the coronavirus (COVID-19), if the infection prevention and control protocols for the workplace are followed. “Organisations need to put in place daily cleaning protocols that are sufficient to kill any virus...

The Government is reviewing the pretesting approach that is now in effect, primarily for visitors coming out of North America. Currently, for the Non Residents Online Application on the travelauth.visitjamaica.com website, to apply for entry, a COVID-19 PCR test result is required for residents of the United States, Brazil, Dominican Republic and Mexico who are 12 years of age and...

Newly appointed State Minister in the Ministry of Health & Wellness, Mrs. Juliet Cuthbert Flynn, has been assigned several areas in the Ministry, including: Maternal Health, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention, Reduction of Drug Abuse, Blood Bank and the Wellness Agenda. Minister of Health & Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, provided details during the weekly COVID Conversation Digital Press...

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...