KINGSTON, Jamaica, Oct 2, CMC – Jamaica has recorded five more coronavirus (COVID-19) related deaths over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 116 as health authorities announced plans for community consultations aimed at engaging stakeholders at the parish level in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness reported that the number confirmed cases now stands at 6,704 after 149 new cases were recorded.
It said that the five latest deaths were all from St Catherine, a parish in the south east of the island and included two women, ages 79 and 71 years old and three men, ages 76, 94 and 99.
The authorities said that 11 deaths remain under investigation and that of the newly confirmed cases they ranged from ages from 11 days to 88 years.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness said it is undertaking community consultations aimed at engaging stakeholders at the parish level in the process of heightening public awareness and adherence to the COVID-19 infection-prevention measures.
The first in the series of meetings was held digitally on Wednesday with representatives of civic, business and community groups in Manchester in west central Jamaica, where Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton, in his address underscored the importance of the outreach, particularly as the country has entered the community transmission phase of COVID-19.
“We are now in a phase of the virus where it requires an ‘all of society’ approach, more than any other phase. It requires every person to firstly recognise the phase that we are in and for everyone to define a role for themselves as part of their own coping mechanisms, but also, importantly, to help others to cope,” he said.
Tufton said that the engagement of community interests forms part of a plan to address mental health challenges being experienced by individuals impacted by the containment measures, such as the restrictions on movement.
“Mental health, for me, is a big concern, because I am seeing enough to suggest that the state of mind of many persons is being affected significantly by COVID-19,” he said, adding “there there are some very deliberate strategies that we have to implement,” among them working with community leaders and influencers to assist in protecting vulnerable citizens, including the elderly and sick.
Tufton emphasised the importance of encouraging compliance with the safeguards such as the wearing of masks in public spaces, handwashing and sanitising, temperature checks, physical distancing, and adhering to protocols around how business is conducted.
“What we are doing is attempting to change behaviour… to get people to comply with and follow the protocols. We want to build an army [of volunteers] at the parish level that will filter out through health districts, based on where they reside, and arm them with some basic information and with the support of community health aides, to use them to become part of the influencers in the society,” he said.
