On Wednesday, March 18, Jamaica recorded its first death related to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The deceased is a 79-year-old man from Clarendon with a travel history from New York. He presented to the Lionel Town Hospital on March 16 with fever, cough and shortness of breath.
At that time, he was noted to be critically ill and was transferred to the Mandeville Public General Hospital where he was isolated and treated. He showed improvement on March 17 but his condition started to deteriorate on March 18. The elderly man, who was known to have diabetes and hypertension, died at approximately 3:00 pm.
Jamaica has now had 16 confirmed cases of COVID-19, eleven (11) of them due to direct travelers and five (5) related to the first confirmed case.
Members of the public are reminded to take the following steps to help keep themselves safe:
- STAY HOME if you are ill and having fever and/or respiratory symptoms.
- Maintain a distance of at least one metre from other persons.
- Frequently perform hand hygiene by washing hands thoroughly with soap and water or using a hand sanitizer if hands are not visibly soiled.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and then discarding it.
- And resist the habit to touch your face.
Further, public gatherings and non-essential travel are discouraged.
For more information, contact the Ministry of Health & Wellness at the COVID-19 lines: 888-754-7792 and 888-ONE-LOVE (663-5683). Additional numbers to call are 876-542-5998, 876-542-6007 and 876-542-6006.
In addition to the numbers provided, information and updates on COVID-19 can be found at the Ministry’s website at https://www.moh.gov.jm and social media platforms @themohwgovjm. Members of the public may also email covid19@moh.gov.jm or jacovid19facts@gmail.com.