NOT AFRAID OF COVID - Jamaicans no longer rushing to make wills

Back in April when Jamaica had fewer COVID-19 cases, fewer deaths and no community spread, David Clarke, an attorney-at-law, was imploring Jamaicans to get their wills in order. "Write your will today!" was the message that he was pushing. Clarke even placed an advertisement in the print media.

Many persons terrified at what the virus could bring, took his advice. However, today, that rush has died down.

"It has gone back to normal ... nobody not flooding in or anything like that. I guess that by now, people are taking another outlook on COVID-19, as they are not so scared as they were before. That is the feeling I get," Clarke told THE STAR.

Was scarier before

In April, COVID-19 claimed more than 87,000 lives across the world, four of them occurring in Jamaica. Today, more than one million persons have died from the virus, 120 being from Jamaica.

"COVID was scarier before ... but not now. People are dying, enuh, but the scare is not there like before. People don't seem as scared as before, and even me, myself, have a different view of it now," he said. Dr Alverston Bailey, who recently projected that as many as 17,000 Jamaicans could die from COVID-19, is taken aback by the lack of concern.

"The primary challenge I have as a public health specialist, is the level of ignorance that exists as far as COVID-19 is concerned. A lot of persons aren't taking it seriously. Younger persons aren't taking it seriously because they have fewer complications, but they are taking it home to their parents," he told THE STAR. "This stems from the message that is being promulgated by various influencers and community leaders, and sometimes even doctors. This stems from the fact that they are using data that most patients really don't understand."