163 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Jamaica

April 17, 2020April 20, 2020 News Room

Jamaica now has 163 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), following 20 new additions over the last 24 hours.

Details on 17 of the 20 new cases will be provided over the next 24 hours. The other three are from St Catherine. Two of that number are workers – both females, aged 33 and 19 years – of Alorica. The third case is a 42-year-old male who is under investigation.

These three cases bring to 33 the number of imported cases; 39 the contacts of a confirmed case; six (6) the number of local transmissions not epidemiologically linked; and 68 under investigation. Sixty-two (62) of that 68 work at Alorica.

Of those 62 workers, 55 are from St Catherine while four are from Kingston and St Andrew. There is one case each from Clarendon, St Thomas and Portland. Two cases are close contacts of Alorica workers and are from Clarendon.

So far, 1,516 samples have been tested:

163 are positive; and
1,353 are negative.

Up to noon today, there were 140 persons in isolation and 24 in quarantine.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is reminding members of the public that it is now more important than ever that they take care of their emotional health. Steps to do so include:

Staying in touch with friends and family by giving them a call or reaching out to them via social media.
Taking a break from social media, the excessive use of which has been known to create anxiety among some persons.
Keeping a journal, which is a good outlet for self-expression.
- Exercising

For more tips on preserving your mental wellness, visit https://www.moh.gov.jm/mental-health/. There is also an available platform for self-expression at: https://www.moh.gov.jm/mental-health/how-to-share-your-story/

Members of the public – including those with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and hypertension – are also advised to reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19 by: