Strict COVID containment measures could be extended

Christopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:
Jamaica's Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie on Thursday night reported improvements in the key indicators of the COVID management but warned that the strict containment measures have to continue.

For the past three weeks, Jamaica has been seeing Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays as no-movement days and tighter curfews for the other four days.

The tightened measures are scheduled to end on September 14, 2021.

Addressing the Health Ministry's COVID Conversations media briefing Bisasor McKenzie said the reproductive rate has now dropped to around 1.

It has gone as high as 1.5, that is five times higher than the desired figure of 0.3 which was being recorded in July last year.

The reproductive rate measures the number of new infections potentially caused by each positive patient.

"We have imposed restrictions, and a lot of persons have taken on personal responsibility to ensure that they restrain from behaviours that will cause exposure and spread,” Bisasor-McKenzie said.

But the chief medical officer said the downward bend had only just started.

"It means we may have to continue with some of these restrictions that we have in place in order to keep that reproductive rate down," she said.

At the same time, Bisasor McKenzie said Jamaica's current positivity rate, averaging 32.5 percent, is a significant decrease from recent higher numbers.

In recent weeks, the positivity rate has hit percentages in the high 40s.

"We can clearly see that there is a trend, that we are bending the corner, levelling off. This is something we hope will continue,” said Bisasor-McKenzie.

But there is worry for Jamaica with confirmation Thursday that the Mu variant of COVID-19 is now here.

Of 92 samples sent for testing, the Centers for Disease Control has returned 26 positive for the Mu variant, while 55 were found to be the Delta strain.

Both variants are highly transmissible, with indications that the COVID vaccines may not be as effective against the Mu strain as it is against others.

It's why Bisasor McKenzie urges the restriction of the unnecessary movement of people from one place to another.

To date, Jamaica has recorded at total of 74,007 cases of COVID-19 and 1,685 deaths.

Kingston and St Andrew continue to record the highest number of overall cases island-wide, with 18,644 cases.

St Catherine has seen 13,393 cases and St James, 7,367 cases.

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