Withdrawal Of DRMA Not an End to COVID-19 – Dr. Tufton

Jamaicans are being implored not to regard the withdrawal of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) as an end to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and to continue to exercise vigilance against the disease.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, in making the call, said that the virus remains a threat, and it is still raging in other parts of the globe, so Jamaicans must remain cautious and make personal protection a priority.

“COVID is not over until it is technically declared so by the World Health Organization (WHO), which has the experts and is tracking the virus globally to determine when it is no longer a global threat to be considered endemic, or not a pandemic,” the Minister said in an interview with JIS News.

He noted that COVID-19 spikes are taking place in parts of Asia and “we have to watch those carefully and… continue to encourage vaccination”.

“We will still monitor, we will still advise, and where we have to intervene, we will,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Dr. Tufton said that Jamaica must use the knowledge gained from the crisis to fill the gaps that have been identified in public health.

He indicated that he will be using his upcoming Sectoral presentation to outline to the country the course being charted, as there is an “opportunity to make public health a more holistic part of our lives”.

The Minister said that in addition to pushing personal responsibility in ensuring a healthy population, focus is being placed on improving access to community healthcare facilities, the use of technology in areas like telemedicine and patient records, creating more public-private partnerships, delivering better and more efficient service, and the development of infrastructure.

Among the infrastructure projects is the expansion of the Spanish Town Hospital, which represents investment of approximately $3.5 billion.

“It will be a real game changer for the St. Catherine area,” Dr. Tufton said.