The Westmoreland Health Department has

intensified its public sensitisation efforts in order to arm residents with the

necessary information to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

In an interview with JIS News, Health Promotion and Education Officer Gerald Miller said that a “more integrated approached” is being undertaken involving various personnel.

He said that persons employed as temporary vector-control workers under the Housing, Opportunity, Production, and Employment (HOPE) programme are being engaged to disseminate informational materials to the public.

He noted that more than 2,000 leaflets have

been distributed, to date.

 In

addition, he informed that Community Peer Educators have been trained and

equipped with information on COVID-19 prevention, “so that they too can go out

and share the knowledge with people they might come in contact with”.

Peer educators work in communities to

sensitise the public about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually

transmitted infections (STIs).

Miller told JIS News that faith-based

organisations have also been educated about hygiene measures, and primary and

secondary healthcare personnel have been engaged in sensitisation sessions, so

that they can play their part in educating others about the virus.

“We continue to sensitise our staff. I did

a session with the environmental Community Health Aide (CHA) workers and we did

one with vector-control workers. This week, we have sensitisation planned for

other health staff in the Whitehouse area,” he indicated.

Miller noted that a weekly report is submitted to the Ministry of Health and Wellness on activities being undertaken.