(Jamaica Gleaner) Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton is reporting that Jamaica has confirmed four cases of the new strain of COVID-19.
The four are among the 20 travellers from the United Kingdom who were tested positive for the coronavirus after their arrival in Kingston on December 21, 2020.
They remain in a state isolation facility.
In the meantime, the Health Minister says Jamaica on Saturday recorded 118 new COVID infections.
Some 513 samples were tested.
This means there was a positivity rate of 23 per cent, the highest in eight weeks.
“This is very concerning to us,” said Tufton.
He added: “While it is early days yet, the trends are showing an uptick in the number of cases being reported, especially in the western end of the island.”
Tufton said the parish of Westmoreland with 690 cases, is of greatest concern.
The government has been preparing for a surge in the COVID numbers this month coming out of the holiday activities.
Jamaica now has confirmed 13,049 cases of COVID-19.
This includes the 641 recorded between December 18, 2020 and January 2, 2021.
