(Jamaica Star) Jamaica recorded three more COVID-19 deaths last night, bringing the total to 24.
The health ministry also recorded 224 new coronavirus cases over a 24-hour period. This is the second 200-plus increase in days.
The deceased are an 88-year-old male from Clarendon who died on August 28; a 73-year-old male, also from Clarendon, who died on August 30; and a 79-year-old male from St Elizabeth who died yesterday. All three persons had underlying conditions, notably Parkinson’s disease, hypertension, alcoholism, and diabetes.
The number of positives has risen to 2,683. Of the 224 newly confirmed positives, 119 are females and 95 are males. The sex classification of 10 of the new cases is under investigation. They range in age from two years to 87 years and have addresses in Kingston and St Andrew (81), St Catherine (51), Clarendon (17), St Thomas (15), St Mary (four), Portland (28), Trelawny (four), St James (12), Manchester (five), Westmoreland (one), and Hanover (six). Five of the new cases are contacts of confirmed cases and 219 are under investigation.
At this time, there are 456 imported cases; 650 cases that are contacts of confirmed cases; 236 cases related to the workplace cluster in St Catherine; 242 that are local transmissions (not epidemiologically linked); and 1,099 are under investigation.
The ministry also reported eight new recoveries, bringing the island’s total recoveries to 898. There are currently 1,686 active cases being monitored, including six critically ill persons and 13 who are moderately ill.
Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry will close its offices at 61 Constant Spring Road today and tomorrow to facilitate sanitisation of the premises amid two confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
The ministry said it closed the offices in accordance with the guidelines from the health ministry. The ministry also said there were reports to the human and resource management department of some persons being unwell.
Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Sancia Bennett Templer, advised that customer-facing operations, such as receiving applications for marriage licences and expungement, will resume on Friday, when the ministry reopens.
The ministry has also operationalised the provisions within the Disaster Risk Management Act for staff members to work from home where possible, or otherwise to take advantage of flexible working hours. “We are doing all that is necessary at this time to protect our staff members and members of the public who visit,” Bennett Templer said.