JERSEY’S Covid wave is continuing to surge, with 1,492 known active cases in the Island yesterday – up 59% on last week.
There are now 11 cases in the Hospital and a further nine in care homes as the outbreak, caused by two new highly infectious sub-strains of Omicron, continues to grow in Jersey and across the rest of the British Isles.
The World Health Organisation yesterday revealed that the number of new coronavirus cases across the globe rose by 18% last week – to about 4.1 million – following the relaxation of Covid laws and the emergence of new variants. However, the worldwide death rate from the disease has remained largely flat.
Following the rise, which began in early June, Age Concern has cancelled its summer fair and recommended to its members that they start wearing face coverings.
In a tweet, Ben Shenton, the organisation’s chair, said: ‘At Age Concern Jersey we have seen a sizeable increase in Covid cases this week.
‘We have cancelled our Summer Fair next Saturday and are recommending that our members wear masks and carry out regular lateral-flow tests. Hopefully, the current surge in cases will quickly pass.’
Parents of school-aged children were also emailed this week, urging them to remain vigilant and to continue to take regular lateral-flow tests amid the current rise.
In a recent interview with the JEP, Dr Ivan Muscat, Jersey’s deputy medical officer of health, urged eligible Islanders to receive a spring booster in a vaccination programme which he said would conclude at the end of June.
He also declined to rule out a return to mandatory mask-wearing in indoor public places if cases were to surge, but said he was hopeful the measure would not be needed.
In a statement released yesterday, the government said: ‘We’re aware that the figures of positive Covid-19 cases in the community may not accurately reflect the full amount of active cases, however we are committed to sharing the information we have with Islanders.
‘We encourage Islanders who have symptoms or receive a positive lateral-flow test to book a PCR test.
‘This is particularly important for Islanders who are planning to travel within 28 days of Covid-19 infection as a pre-departure PCR may still show a positive PCR result. Recovery certificates are only issued for Islanders who test positive via PCR.’
