1,290 COVID-19 Tests To Date; 1,185 Persons Negative

The Government has reported that 1,290 samples/persons have been tested for the coronavirus (COVID-19), to date, of which 105 have been confirmed as positive.

This means that 1,185 persons, who were tested, were negative for the virus.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, gave the update during a digital press conference from Jamaica House on Tuesday (April 14).

Thirty-two of the 105 cases were confirmed within the last 24 hours. These are five males and 27 females from the parishes of St. Catherine, Kingston and St. Andrew, whose ages range from 19 to 70 years.

Thirty-one of the new cases are linked to a case at Alorica, a call centre located in Portmore, which has a staff of 787.

Dr. Tufton said the Ministry is testing staff members.

“So far in our intervention, 258 individuals have been interviewed and sampled, 65 of those tests have come back, and of that number 33 are positive. Two were announced a few days ago so 31 since today. A senior team visited the entity on the weekend and the entity has since closed,” he noted.

Dr. Tufton said arrangements are being made for isolation of the newly confirmed cases, while investigations continue to find other possible exposed persons.

Meanwhile, the Minister informed that 21 persons have recovered from COVID-19, so far, 20 are in quarantine and 65 are in isolation.

SOURCE: JIS