High levels of absenteeism among Jamaica’s nurses are increasingly a cause for concern for hospital administrators battling an unprecedented public-health emergency. That revelation by a senior nursing official on Thursday gave broader insight......

As COVID-19 infections streak across Jamaica at lightning speed, parents have been warned to safeguard preteens against the virus, with a paediatrician at the Bustamante Hospital for Children citing a troubling uptick in cases. A third wave of the....

The majority of Jamaica’s 700 sex workers have no plans to take the COVID-19 vaccine, a worrying revelation that presents health ministry officials with grave concerns for a high-risk group that operates in the shadows. “Most are opposed to gett...

WESTERN BUREAU: With bodies piling up as a result of the increasing number of COVID-19-related deaths in the parish, funeral directors in Westmoreland want the Government to set defined timelines for burials to alleviate storage problems. Melvin...

Jamaica crossed the psychological hurdle of administering half a million doses of COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday, an important step in the journey towards the 65 per cent herd immunity of its population by March 2022. The development came 48 hours......

Despite having had to resort to using shovels to channel floodwaters on to the road and away from their homes, some residents of Unions Estate in St Catherine are fearful that they could still experience disaster if the National Housing Trust (NHT.....

WESTERN BUREAU: A senior hospital administrator in western Jamaica has recommended boosting bed capacity by 25 per cent to manage the surge of coronavirus cases. Increasing the bed count from 800 to 1,000 is viewed as critical to hospitals staying.....

Inflamed by years-long stagnation in salaries and inertia in negotiations, more than 40 contracted drivers of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) staged an islandwide sickout and protest on Thursday to press for better remuneration. The entrance to the.....

WESTERN BUREAU: A call by Dr Roger Hunter for the use of pulse oximeters in all public spaces as part of the effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus has been deemed as unnecessary by two colleagues of the medical fraternity. Dr Mike Mills,......

Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) President Patsy Edwards Henry is moving to crush a rebellion within the ranks of public nurses who launched an islandwide sickout on Wednesday that crippled operations at hospitals already hobbled by the COVID-19....

Customers of medical marijuana distributor Epican could end up without their fix in coming months after the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) ordered the entity to destroy more than 1,000 plants cultivated after its licence to operate expired at.....

WESTERN BUREAU: Accustomed to perennial poor service at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH), many persons who showed up at the Montego Bay-based facility yesterday were initially unaware of a sickout among nurses, with almost half of the cohort...

WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica’s favoured position in travel and tourism will be heavily weighted on the success of its vaccination campaign, the country’s minister of tourism, Edmund Bartlett, has said. Bartlett was responding to news that Jamaica’s...

The Corporate Area-based Hope Zoo, which had been teetering on the brink of closure as COVID-19 ravaged its revenue streams, has been given a lifeline to help sustain its operations, including more than 1,100 animals, by Lifespan. Lifespan CEO...

Before the vaccination site at the Mona Ageing and Wellness Centre at the University of the West Indies, Mona, was opened yesterday morning, more than 50 people were already eagerly in line to receive the single-shot Johnson...

Nursing managers in hospitals across the North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA) region moved quickly on Wednesday to fill the void created by the sickout of nurses, thus avoiding a critical drop in healthcare delivery in St Ann, St Mary, and.....

A homeless man on the streets of Kingston is advising the Government to mount an effective grass-roots campaign to educate the public on the possible side effects of the COVID-19 jabs and clear up concerns over the different brands to drive up...

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Floyd Green has directed the management of Newport Fersan, the country’s sole manufacturer of fertiliser, to report to him in a week’s time on possible adjustments that can be made to provide cheaper products f...

WESTERN BUREAU: In 18 days, Camille Campbell lost two sisters, a brother, and her common-law husband. Four family members in the height of a pandemic is a mountain of sorrow for the 46-year-old former gas station attendant. Other cases like hers...

WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaicans applying for permanent residence in the United States must be vaccinated as part of the green card process. The new requirement released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) comes into effect October 1......