NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

The Jamaica Ministry of Health reported an additional 735 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, including 17 fatalities.

Kingston & St. Andrew reported the most cases with 129, closely followed by St. Ann Parish (126), St. Catherine (107) and Manchester (106).

The cumulative COVID-19 cases and deaths in Jamaica are 69,789 and 1,585, respectively since the beginning of the pandemic.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced plans by the Government to recruit 40 persons in each of the 63 constituencies to assist in driving greater coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine take-up in communities.

Mr. Holness said the individuals, who would be vaccinated, will be employed on a temporary basis to work with members of Parliament (MPs) and community leaders, among others, “to go into the rural townships and get people to come out and take the vaccines”.

Lastly, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams announced there will be no face-to-face classes on the first teaching day of the new school year, Monday, September 6. Students will be taught remotely.

Ms. Williams said she is aware that parents and students are anxious to return to face-to-face classes, “but we are not quite there yet”, stressing that the objective in the education system is to return students to this mode as quickly and as safely as possible.

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“We still have to wait to see how these COVID numbers play out and [how] the Ministry of Health and Wellness advises us. We are doing everything to continue to ensure that our children receive education even during this pandemic… [hence] our children will still have access to education via the online mode, via our learning kit and via the audio-visual platforms that we have,” she said.

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