Five more persons test positive for COVID-19

In the last 24 hours, five additional persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Jamaica. There are now 478 confirmed cases on the island.

One of the new cases is an 18-year-old male from St Mary. He is a contact of a previously confirmed case. The others are three men who range in age from 18 to 69 years and one woman, who is 17 years old.

There remains 221 confirmed COVID-19 cases related to the workplace cluster. They are primarily from St. Catherine and Kingston and St. Andrew. Their ages range from 18 to 53 years. They include 166 females and 55 males.

Health Minister Dr Chris Tufton stated that: "Now that we have got rid of the backlog, the Ministry and Health and Wellness, in collaboration with the Regional Heath Authorities, will explore expanded testing options for COVID-19 to include the testing of all admissions to hospitals and the creation of an appointment system for persons who wish to be tested for the virus that causes COVID-19."

Twenty-eight of the 32 BPOs now in operation, have passed inspection.The remaining institutions have been provided with work plans to improve their infection prevention and control measures.

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