Guy calls for wider testing to aid COVID fight

As Jamaica continues to grapple with the novel coronavirus, Opposition spokesperson on health, Dr Morais Guy, says he believes there are still a few loopholes that may be contributing to the hike in positive cases and deaths of many Jamaicans.

Guy noted that the extent to which the Jamaican Government is invested in the World Health Organization (WHO) may be hurting the country.

"I'm not saying the Government should not be guided by WHO but not to the extent where some common practices and principles are being ignored. The Government is too wedded to (WHO) and I think we have sufficient scientists in this country who can advise the Government on what measures to take," he told THE WEEKEND STAR.

Guy opined that the health ministry needs a wider scope of testing.

Three branded tests

"The Government cannot confine itself to three branded tests alone because what they are doing in respective of this is that the demand and supply situation enables those persons to profit off the Jamaican people. If more approvals were given for more important tests to be imported then the demand and supply would dictate that the price of the test go down and we get more," said Guy. "With that they expand the number of reliable antigen tests that are available in this country and do more of the antigen testing in the point of care facilities. When that is done, then there is a better chance to contain the virus because there will be a capacity to know there and then who to have to be in quarantine because the results will be available in 20 to 30 minutes."

Jamaica on Wednesday recorded 15 more COVID deaths, bringing the total to 646. There were also 204 new cases pushing the positivity tally to 41,406. There are 447 hospitalised patients with 49 of them being in critical condition. Guy argued that with such a high death toll, the Government must ramp up the turnover rate for test results. Otherwise, the virus will continue to be on the rampant.

"You can't have test being done and five to six days after persons can't get the results," he said. Guy also criticised the weekend lockdowns.

"The curfews will have to continue in my view but the on and off lockdown scientifically doesn't work. To lock down on the weekends and have the next five days free doesn't add up. Lockdown has to be over an extended period," he said.

Meanwhile, another 75,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday from the African Medical Support Platform.