Honourable Prime Minister, Colleague Ministers, Members of the media, Members of the Public all, good evening. COVID-19 Numbers  Jamaica has recorded 30 new COVID-19 casesin the last 24 hours. The island now has 958 confirmed positives.  Of the newly confirmed cases, 19 are females and 11 are males, with ages ranging from 6 to 87 years.  Four (4) are imported...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, on Thursday (August 6), warned that stricter measures to contain the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are coming, following another spike in new cases within the last 24 hours, totaling 30, to push Jamaica’s tally to 958. He made the announcement during a digital press briefing at the Office of the...

As early childhood institutions (ECIs) prepare for start of the 2020/21 academic year in September, Acting Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Kasan Troupe, says operators and staff within the sector have been trained in the necessary Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) protocols to safeguard children. “The ECI sector [stakeholders have] been fully trained by...

The Ministry of Health & Wellness in collaboration with the Clarendon Health Department and the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) has reviewed today the recent COVID-19 cases coming out of Clarendon. Two positive cases of COVID-19 are admitted at the May Pen Hospital. Case investigations and contact tracing have been carried out that have yielded six positive contacts of these...

With eight new additions to the COVID-19 case tally for Jamaica as at Wednesday (August 5), the Ministry of Health and Wellness is stressing the need for consistent physical distancing, the wearing of masks, frequent washing of hands, and obedience to quarantine orders by members of the public. “It is vital that the Jamaican public, residents and non-residents alike, abide...

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, is urging member countries to take the necessary steps towards achieving a “careful balance” in public healthcare delivery, particularly at the primary level. This, she said, is imperative in light of emerging “warning signs” of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic’s “devastating” impact on healthcare services for other ailments, across the region. The...

General Surgeon at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital in Westmoreland, Dr. Lincoln Cox, is encouraging Jamaicans with possible cancer symptoms not to put off seeking medical attention, in order to improve their chances of survival if they get a positive diagnosis. Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ at the agency’s Regional Office in Montego Bay, St. James, on July...