The St Catherine Health Department is currently managing a cluster of COVID-19 cases at the Jamaica Constabulary Force Police Academy in Central Village, St Catherine. The Health Department was called to the facility by its medical team, who had observed several persons displaying COVID-19 symptoms.

The Health Department sampled some 280 junior and senior recruits and instructors, of which 47 of the batch, including two instructors, were found to be positive for COVID-19. The Health Department has since ordered that the section of the campus be quarantined and the positive patients isolated for further observation.

Medical Officer of Health for St Catherine, Dr Francine Prosper Chen noted that “In the coming days, the Health Department will be conducting tests on some 400 instructors, medical and ground staff members, who are on campus. We are working with the Academy’s medical team to monitor the positive cases and at the same time, ensure that the infection prevention and control measures are keenly observed at the Academy.”

This cluster of cases has contributed to the increase in the number of cases in Central Village, which has now been named as one of the top 20 communities with active COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks based on surveillance data from the Health and Wellness Ministry.