Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has confirmed that Jamaica has now detected its first case of the Omicron variant.

During a COVID Conversations press briefing this morning, Tufton revealed that it was the United Kingdom’s Health Regulation System that advised the country’s Health Ministry that a traveler from Jamaica has returned a positive test result for the Omnicron variant.

“This is a traveler that came here on a short stay in one of our resort facilities and went back and was confirmed for COVID and confirmed for the Omicron variant,” Tufton explained.

The health minister said there were several conclusions to be drawn from this positive case.

“Persons may have been infected by others in the population and or this particular individual could have interacted sufficiently while here, to infect or contaminate others. In others words I think it is best from a … precautionary perspective to conclude that Omicron is here within our population.”

Tufton suggested however that, despite these conclusions, unnecessary alarm should not be the public’s first response. Jamaicans should instead ensure that they are cautious and on their guard during this season of increased activity.

This comes only a week after the health minister warned the Jamaican public, during the previous COVID Conversations, to prepare for the emergence on the Omicron variant and a possible fourth wave.

“We did say in the past, certainly at the last COVID Conversation, that we do expect that the variant strain would be here very soon given the openness of our borders, travel to and from and from destinations here, the variant has become the dominant strain in the population,” the health minister said today.

He added that the positive case should not come as a surprise.

The minister, who believes there are other currently undetected case of the Omicron strain, highlighted that it is necessary to communicate once there is information surrounding cases of the Omicron variant, hence the need to have the press briefing today.