KINGSTON, Jamaica – Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, says the Mu strain of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) will be manageable once the established public health protocols are followed.
Photo courtesy of the CDC, Alissa EckertTufton urged members of the public not to panic, as new strains of the virus will enter Jamaica due to people traveling to the island from other parts of the globe.
“This new strain is not going to lead to more people dying or getting ill. We are still studying it, and while we have an obligation to announce, we are not announcing for you to panic…it is for you to be aware; it is not a failure of the system or the process,” he told reporters.
He said what is required is continuous vaccination, social distancing, and regular hand washing and sanitization as the observance of the health protocols will help to “build our capacity to resist the virus as we restore some form semblance of normality”.
Earlier, this week, Tufton had said that it is imperative that the Jamaican population be protected against the virus.
“Now that we know that there is the Mu variant in the Caribbean and it is one of concern, then we will pay particular attention to ensuring that we not only test for Delta and the others but we test for this particular one as well.
“We have collected samples and sent them to three sites outside of Jamaica for those samples to be tested,” he said, noting this is among the reasons the government is forging ahead with the national vaccination program to get the majority of the population inoculated.
Meanwhile, Jamaica Friday reported 638 new COVID-19 cases and eight more deaths bringing the infection total to 74,945, and virus death toll to 1,693.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness in its latest bulletin said that the new cases from tests conducted on Thursday comprise 366 females and 271 males with ages ranging from one day to 97 years.
The ministry said that those who have died from the virus ranged in ages 33 to 96 years old and that the island has 23,229 active cases after 104 people recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 49,335.
Currently, 812 people are hospitalized, 106 of which are severely ill, while 51 are critically ill and 138 are moderately ill.
