Dear Editor, 

When the COVID-19 pandemic gathered pace during February and March, the most vulnerable groups were designated as the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions.

That designation has remained in place across the globe, yet more and more, we are seeing that the coronavirus respects no one.

Jamaica was plunged into a state of even greater COVID-19 fear, when on Thursday night in a posting on Twitter, Health Minister Dr Tufton informed the nation that the country’s seventh COVID-19 death was a four-year-old child.

Since that posting by Dr Tufton, we have not been provided with any details by the health authorities either on Twitter or through the media.

No press briefing was held yesterday (Friday) by either the prime minister or the minister of health, thereby, leaving Jamaicans in a quandary.

A four-year-old died because of COVID-19 and there is no information, no explanation.

It is all well and good to host press briefings, which inevitably start late, and which extend, in most cases, for far too long, but to keep the country uninformed about such a major development is wrong.

As if this was not enough, yesterday, I saw on Twitter, again on Dr Tufton’s page that a two-month old baby had contracted the disease. Again no information from those in charge. Why?

Surely, Mr Tufton understands that he MUST share information with the public.

This is not politics, gentlemen, this is a disease affecting all of us, so we need to know.

I can just imagine how many parents are worrying now as corona gets to our weakest link – our children.

Ruddy Blair

Kingston