COVID-19 Curve Flattening

The Government has reported that the curve that tracks newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Jamaica is now flattening.

Jamaica now has 520 confirmed cases with the virus, 131 recoveries and nine deaths.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, gave this update during a virtual press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister on Monday (May 18), the 70th day since Jamaica confirmed its first case of COVID-19.

Mr. Holness announced that on Monday there were no new cases confirmed after testing.

“There are currently 380 active cases. The graphs show that on our first 100 cases, we were briefly on the six-day doubling curve, and then moved to the eight-day doubling curve, then to the 10-day doubling curve, to the 12-day doubling curve, and now we are approaching the 15-day doubling curve,” he noted.

“The longer it takes to double, the better it is for the country and it shows that there are fewer new cases being confirmed each day and, basically, you would then say that your curve is flattening, and that’s the objective. That’s what we want to achieve – a flattening of the curve,” Mr. Holness added.

The parish of St. Catherine now has the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 295 cases. This is followed by Kingston and St. Andrew with 119 cases; Clarendon, 35 cases; St. Mary, 18 cases; St. Ann, 15 cases; Manchester, 12 cases; St. James, eight cases; Portland, seven cases; St. Elizabeth, five cases; St. Thomas, three cases; Westmoreland, two cases; and Trelawny with one case.

The parish of Hanover still has no confirmed case of COVID-19.