KINGSTON, Jamaica — In one month between July and August, positive COVID-19 cases in the Corporate Area shot up by 333 per cent from 707 to 3058 cases, Tuesday’s Parish Disaster and Public Health Committee meeting of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) has learned. 

Dr Kimberly Myers of the Kingston and St Andrew (KSA) Public Health Department told the committee that up to September 21, there has been a total of 18,182 COVID cases in the municipality.

She said that 17,060 people have recovered and that there are still 1225 active cases.

According to the KSA Public Health Report, Olympic Gardens with 82 cases tops the list of five communities with COVID 19 cases. There have been 66 cases downtown Kingston, 60 in Duhaney Park, 58 in Harbour View and 55 in Seaview Gardens.

The minimum age of death in the municipality from the COVID virus has been a one month old baby and the maximum age of death has been 99 years, according to the report.

Of the confirmed cases, women account for 57 per cent (1,745) cases. Males confirmed with COVID-19 total 41 per cent, (1258) cases. The undetermined cases were 55.2 per cent the report stated.

More women than men in the KSA have been vaccinated with the Astra Zeneca and Pfizer vaccines but men outnumber the women who have taken the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. 

According to the report, 94,008 females in the KSA have received first and second doses of AstraZeneca compared to 82,351 males.

A total of 32, 957 women have received first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine compared to 24,706 men.

However, 5,281 men have received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine compared to 3,423 women who have taken the one dose vaccine. Dr Myers said that more men appeared to have preferred the one dose vaccine.

Claudene Edwards