Hospitals Over Capacity For COVID-19 Admissions

As COVID-19 cases continue to surge, so too are hospital admissions; all large public hospitals across the country of Jamaica are currently facing severe constraints. The Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) is noting likely implications for elective or non-emergency procedures.

Data from Jamaica’s Health Ministry reveals that admissions at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) are at 100 per cent;

Cornwall Regional Hospital is at 110 per cent, Spanish Town Hospital is at 160 per cent, May Pen Hospital is at 108 per cent, Mandeville Hospital is at 160 per cent, Savanna La Mar Public General Hospital is 167 per cent and St Ann’s Bay Hospital is at 135 per cent.

The Chairman of Southern Regional Health Authority, Wayne Chen, spoke to the situation at the May Pen and Mandeville Hospitals. According to Chen, none of the people hospitalized are among the vaccinated. He says some patients are sent home to continue their treatment in order to create beds for critically ill COVID-19 patients.

The Health Ministry is seeking to administer some seven hundred thousand (700,000) doses of the vaccine by the end of September 2021 in pursuit of the target to have 65% of the Jamaican population vaccinated by March 2022.