COVID cases jump to 422

Nineteen employees at the Ministry of Health & Wellness are among the 422 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the island.

The ministry said that more than 300 employees from its New Kingston offices were tested for the virus.

Nationally, some 4,439 persons or 0.16 per cent of the population have been tested for COVID-19. Some 422 persons have returned positives tests; another 3,997 have been found to be negative while 20 samples pending.

Some 259 or 61 per cent of the confirmed cases are females and 163 or 39 per cent are males. The ages of all confirmed cases range from two months old to 87 years old.

In the meantime, Jamaica on Thursday recorded its eighth COVID fatality following the death of a 63-year-old woman, who is from St Catherine. She was a contact of a confirmed case.

There are currently 104 persons in hospitals, who have either tested positive for COVID-19 or are suspected to be infected with the virus that causes respiratory illness. Three of those patients are critically ill and 14 are said to be moderately ill.

There are now 427 persons in isolation and 87 in quarantine at a government facility.