Jamaica receives First Shipment of Supplies and Equipment To Fight COVID-19

The Jamaica Government has received its First Shipment of Supplies and Equipment Since the COVID-19 Outbreak.

The first shipment of approximately $1 billion worth of supplies and medical equipment was received by the Government to bolster Jamaica’s coronavirus (COVID-19) response.

Ventilators, intensive care unit (ICU) beds, stretchers, infrared thermometers, masks were included and the are being stored at the National Health Fund (NHF) warehouse in Kingston.

The items were sent from many countries, including the USA, Ireland and China.

Jamaica’s Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, and NHF Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Everton Anderson, visited the facility on Wednesday to look at them before the distribution began.

Dr. Tufton says for the next 2 or 3 months the island has enough supplies to last. He is still looking forward to receiving the 2nd shipment as well and said there is a lot more supplies here now than what was present two months ago.

These supplies should last until the end of May. The NHF and the Government, “will continue to monitor the situation globally, so that they can be placing orders from countries where they will get prompt delivery, where needed”.

The Minister also revealed that Jamaica is in a good position to handle Covid-19 now, but he still wants persons to take precautions and practice good hygiene.

The overall complement of items ordered includes 32 ventilators, 30 ICU beds, 1,500 infrared thermometers, 80 monitors, N95 masks and 35 suction machines. The NHF CEO said.