Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton is painting a bleak picture for Jamaica’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, as nearly 60 per cent of hospitals islandwide are now on ‘red alert’.

Dr Tufton, speaking at a virtual press briefing on Tuesday afternoon (February 23), said that 13 of the island’s 22 hospitals hover concerningly above 80 per cent capacity. Nine hospitals, in particular, are bursting at full capacity.

“The increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country remain a cause for concern. The increase means more active cases require management by the [Ministry of] Health team, which means more stress on the health infrastructure,” he began.

“A portion of the cases would require hospitalisation and so, a rise in COVID-19 patients is a reality and it is adding to the burden on an already overburdened infrastructure,” Tufton added.

Minister Tufton disclosed that in the last week, Jamaica added 2,818 new COVID-19 cases to the cumulative tally, which created a domino effect of increased hospitalisations—up from 245 to 270, or a 10.2 per cent jump.

“The present state of hospitalisations has become, for us, alarmingly high. We have currently some 13 of 22 hospitals across the island at the red alert phase,” he said.

Explaining, Minister Tufton said that the red alert would signify occupancy levels at or greater than 84 per cent at respective isolation wards.

“Nine of these [13] hospitals are at 100 per cent or greater capacity,” Tufton reported.

The most recent hospital census done by the Ministry of Health and Wellness shows that the Cornwall Regional, Falmouth, Annotto Bay, Port Maria, Mandeville Regional, May Pen, Kingston Public, Princess Margaret and Spanish Town hospitals all exceed their capacity to house patients who require isolated care.

Minister Tufton called the latest update “worrying for the entire country”, adding that all four regional health authorities have two or more hospitals in the red alert phase.

“The country is facing a serious challenge as it relates to the availability of hospital space due to the increasing cases,” Tufton argued.

In his address to the nation, the health minister reiterated that while no Jamaican is to be turned away given the greater pressure on hospitals, members of the public should call before showing up beforehand—to allow medical practitioners time to process on a case-by-case basis.

The sentiment was most recently echoed by the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) on Monday.

Jamaica confirmed 147 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the national caseload to 21,862.