A traveller from the United Kingdom, who tested positive for the coronavirus on arrival in Jamaica, has died.
The traveller was one of twenty airline passengers placed in isolation after arriving in Jamaica on December 21; just prior to the closure of the borders to air traffic from the UK.
It is unclear if the deceased had the highly contagious new variant of the virus, which the Ministry of Health and Wellness confirmed was detected in four of the travellers.
According to the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-Mckenzie, more samples will be sent to the regional health agency in Trinidad to test for the new variant of the virus.
The CMO admitted that there had been some logistical challenges in getting the samples to Trinidad due to limited flights.
Jamaica on Monday (January 4) recorded an alarming 154 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the island’s case count to 13,203.
