KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Ministry of Health and Wellness is reporting that Jamaica now has 305 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), with the addition of 17 new cases over the last 24 hours.

The 17 new positives are comprised of six males and 11 females.

Sixteen (of the 17 range in age from 21 to 59 years. Additional information on the 17th new case is to be made available later.

Further, 12 of the 17 are employees of the business process outsourcing Alorica entity located in Portmore, St Catherine.

One of the 17 new cases is the contact of a confirmed employee, two (2) are contacts of a confirmed case, and two are under investigation. 167 of the 305 confirmed cases to date are employees of Alorica.

In addition, Jamaica now has:

–   34 imported cases.

–   9 cases that are local transmission with no epidemiological link.

–   70 that are contacts of a confirmed case.

–   167 that are local transmission related to a workplace cluster.

–    25 that are under investigation.

So far, 2,868 samples have been tested, 351 over the last 24 hours. Of the 2,868, in

addition to the 305 that have returned positive results:

–         2,552 are negative; and

–         11 are pending.

There are 314 patients in isolation and 92 in quarantine in a Government facility.

Seven persons have died.

Twenty-eight  persons have recovered.

The following is the clinical update:

Number of samples tested – 2,868

Tests done in the last 24 hours – 351

Number of samples that returned positive results – 305

Number of deaths – 7

Number of persons recovered and discharged-  28

Total number of hospitalised patients (including patients who are COVID-19 positive

and/or suspected COVID-19 positive) -108

Number of persons critically ill – 2

Number of persons moderately ill – 3

Number of persons in facility isolation (outside of hospital) -99

Number of patients in step down/transitional facilities – 22

Number of persons in home isolation 85 (including 78 who are to be placed into a Government facility)

Number of persons under quarantine in a Government facility – 92