Six more COVID-positive persons die

Six persons who tested positive for COVID-19 died yesterday but only one of those fatalities has been classified by the ministry of health as a coronavirus-related death. The other deaths are under investigation.

As of yesterday, the number of COVID-19-related death stood at 33. The country recorded 79 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total cases on record for the island to 3,103. Over the same period, recoveries increased by eight, bringing total recoveries to 958.

Sixteen moderately ill patients and eight critically ill patients are among the 2,033 active cases now under observation in Jamaica.

In the meantime, new coronavirus control measures, including tighter curfew hours islandwide, could be announced as early as today by Prime Minister Andrew Holness. Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton said that Jamaica has entered the community transmission phase, which means that the virus could no longer be easily traced from one member of the population to the other.

In this regard, he said the Government would have to strengthen the infection prevention and control measures to reduce the rate of spread within the population, and, more importantly, protect the vulnerable. According to Tufton, some of the measures would include an increase in the curfew restrictions across the island, an increase in the stay-at-home orders for the elderly, re-emphasis on the work-from-home orders for the private and public sectors, and further tightening on restrictions of public gathering with the possibility of reducing the number of persons who can gather in a group. The maximum is currently at 20.