Tufton: Home-testing kits to come in a week
Published:Friday | December 24, 2021 | 12:11 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has announced that within a week, Jamaica should begin importing some of the expected 150,000 COVID-19 home-testing kits for distribution.
Tufton has encouraged private entities to import the tests and make them available across different outlets.
The minister made the disclosure during a press briefing on Wednesday while providing an update on procurement plans for the testing kits, which had previously been announced on December 15.
“We do recognise the margins of error around those tests, and the PCR test remains the gold standard, but nevertheless, they do provide some form of screening, and the technology is, in fact, improving over time,” Tufton added, referencing the polymerase chain reaction test that analyses genetic samples from the body’s upper respiratory system for SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.
The impending arrival of the home-testing kits will be timely in light of the Ministry of Health’s projection that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 could generate up to 1,500 daily COVID cases by mid-January if Jamaica’s infection rate is not brought under control.
Concerns have arisen about the possible presence of the Omicron variant following reports that a traveller from the United Kingdom tested positive for the strain after returning from a recent trip to Jamaica.
The Omicron variant is said to have a community transmission span of between 1.5 and three days, giving it a higher rate of spread than the Delta variant although its symptoms are milder.
On Tuesday, December 21, United States President Joe Biden announced that 500 million home-testing kits would be made available free of charge to residents of that country as part of efforts to curb the local spread of Omicron. Greece had previously begun supplying self-testing kits to its pharmacies for the public in April.
In the meantime, Tufton said that additional focus would be placed on improving community access to COVID-19 vaccines and urged Jamaicans to take greater personal responsibility for preventing spread.
The minister also urged persons to consider using vaccination status as a means of entry for entertainment events.
“If you are going to entertain, meaning small gatherings, whether family members or close friends, maybe you need to take the decision of asking persons for their vaccination cards or status and make it a rule that as a householder, you will allow those who are vaccinated,” he said.