Published 1 March, 2021
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Source: LOOP NEWS
Prime Minister Andrew Holness says many Jamaicans have started to take the COVID-19 pandemic for granted, forcing the Government to now act by implementing stricter control measures.
Speaking at a virtual press conference, Holness painted a picture of the nation’s hospitals now being threatened due to the number of persons with the virus requiring treatment.
“Unfortunately, too many of our brothers and sisters are beginning to take the pandemic for granted. Many of them feel that it is not a personal threat to them or their loved ones,” Holness indicated.
“Therefore, while we have managed to keep the case fatality rate below two per cent, once the capacity of the health system becomes threatened, we could see a spike (of) not only the numbers affected, but also in those dying from the disease.
“This is therefore the critical fulcrum on which balance is maintained, and as it is now, we have to shift our policy efforts so that we can preserve every Jamaican’s life,” he argued.
A raft of new COVID-control policies has since been detailed by the prime minister.
For his part, Health and Wellness Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, disclosed that the hospitalisation rate for COVID-19 patients is at seven per cent.
