Jamaica recorded 20 new COVID cases over Heroes Weekend (October 10 – 16), the lowest number of new cases since 2023 and a significant decrease compared to the 50 indicated in the previous report.

There were no new cases recorded in eight parishes, and the positivity rate dropped from 13.1 per cent to 8.2 per cent. Health Minister Christopher Tufton previously stated while the numbers have been relatively low, the standard positivity rate to determine if COVID is still a threat to the island is five per cent. This means caution is still encouraged among citizens.

Kingston and St Andrew recorded nine cases, taking the lead from St Catherine, the parish that had the majority of cases for a month. In the latest report, St Catherine recorded six cases, while Trelawny and Westmoreland had two each. St James recorded one case.

There are 38 active cases of COVID-19 in Jamaica.

New deaths

The health ministry also confirmed 13 deaths linked to the virus, with nine from 2021, two from 2022, and two from 2023. Additionally, three coincidental deaths were recorded, meaning the patients had the virus but died due to other illnesses.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, Jamaica has recorded a total of 156,617 cases of the virus as of October 16. There have been 3,703 deaths confirmed, 344 coincidental deaths, and 264 possible COVID-related deaths under investigation.

The largest number of new COVID cases since January 1, 2023 were recorded between January 17 and January 23 with 264 reported.

Citizens are encouraged to still practice personal protection measures such as mask-wearing and vaccinations. COVID-19 vaccines are available at health centres islandwide.

To see the list of cases for each parish, see the table below.