MORANT BAY, St Thomas — With 37 active cases of COVID-19 in the parish and the advent of mosquito-breeding season, public health officials are urging St Thomas residents not to let their guard down and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from communicable diseases.

During Thursday’s monthly meeting of the St Thomas Municipal Corporation, Medical Officer of Health Dr D’Oyen Smith stressed that COVID-19 remains a priority for the health department. He noted, however, that the virus is not concentrated within any specific community.

“Of the 37 active cases, we have seven admissions on the ward at the Princess Margaret Hospital currently. I want to take the opportunity to remind those among us that have any kind of illness to ensure that they are wearing their masks, washing their hands frequently, among other preventative measures,” Smith said.

The Ministry of Health said there was no need, at this point, to once again make the wearing of masks mandatory for everyone. However, he encouraged vulnerable groups to wear face coverings.

Hoping to boost St Thomas’ COVID-19 vaccination rate from its current 16.5 per cent, the Morant Bay Health Centre is now accepting walk-ins for jabs on Tuesdays.

Vector control is another concern that remains a critical pain point for the parish, especially with frequent rainfall during the ongoing hurricane season.

“During this time it is likely to have the outbreak of mosquito-borne illnesses,” Smith warned.

The St Thomas Health Department has actively been working to minimise opportunities for mosquitoes to breed. Of the 9,619 premises they have inspected within the parish, 14 per cent tested positive for the presence of the pests.

Smith explained that, as a parish, they should not exceed a 10 per cent positivity rate. He assured councillors that his team is actively working on a daily basis to demolish breeding sites and get the numbers down.

He has implored residents to search their homes weekly to identify possible breeding sites and to accommodate vector controls teams when they do home visits within the various communities.

The issue of four-legged pests was also raised during the meeting, with Mayor Hubert Williams (People’s National Party, White Horses Division) speaking about the need to urgently address the issue of rodents in the town centre.

In response, Smith said his team had already tabled a proposal to roll out a special rodent control programme, which will help lower the risk of leptospirosis.

He assured the council of his commitment to serve the people of St Thomas and said his team is ramping up efforts to address the health issues raised.