COVID CHOKING HOSPITALS
Doctor concerned as positive cases surge past 19,000
President of the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association, Mindi Fitz-Henley, says it’s high time that citizens realise that the novel coronavirus “is not a joke”, following revelations that hospital bed space is reportedly running out following a surge in the positive COVID cases.
Jamaica has recorded more than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases since Sunday February 8.
“Persons need to understand that when it comes down to it there is no space in the hospital and I’m not sure what they expect will happen. We won’t be able to treat persons unless they are able to come into hospitals and we treat them adequately and we don’t want to have reached a point where we have to chose between who gets treated,” she said.
As of yesterday, the number of positive COVID cases had reached 19,035, with 2,150 coming in the last eight days. There are 241 persons in hospital, with 41 of them being moderately ill, and 24 being critical. Yesterday, the Ministry of Health and Wellness also reported two more COVID deaths, increasing that total to 374. There were also 48 more recoveries; that total now stands at 12,593. Fitz-Henley opined that Jamaica is seeing this many cases because persons are not following the quarantine rules.
“A lot of people are also aware of persons arriving in the island and think that because they test negative it’s fine to be all over. But it is not a true negative and that is the purpose of the quarantine order, but many are disobeying. Those who are sick also continue to work and that is causing clusters as well,” she said. “I think it’s high time that citizens realise that COVID is not a joke and it is not going anywhere right now and we need to start learn to live with it.”.