100 children with COVID in Westmoreland
Published:Saturday | September 11, 2021 | 12:09 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The Westmoreland Health Department has raised concern over the sharp increase in COVID-19 infections among children in the parish, with roughly 100 currently afflicted with the illness.
Delivering an assessment of the COVID-19 situation as she addressed the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation meeting on Thursday, Dr Marcia Graham, medical officer of health for the parish, said the matter has triggered alarm.
“The number of children being infected and the number of close contacts of confirmed cases that have tested positive is cause for concern, and greater adherence to the basic protocols is needed, especially among households, where persons venture out into the public space,” she informed councillors.
Breaking down the data, she said that there were 652 active cases in the parish where the presence of the Delta variant was confirmed last month.
“Currently, we have 652 cases that are active,” said Graham, adding that 53 per cent of the COVID-19 patients admitted to the 200-bed hospital were in the acute phase of the illness. “Some 95 of these active cases are children – less than 19 years old.”
Graham further revealed that more than 90 per cent of the patients hospitalised within recent times were unvaccinated.
“Our hospital occupancy at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital is at 264 per cent. COVID-19 has caused a significant impact on the health system and in the lives of everyone in Westmoreland,” she added,