Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, says that with over 1.1 million doses of combined vaccines available in Jamaica, there are no “excuses” for persons not to get vaccinated.
The Minister who was speaking at a virtual press conference on Wednesday (December 15), said that having the population fully vaccinated was even more important now that the feared Omicron variant looms as a clear and present danger to the island.
“We really do not have any excuses not to get vaccinated. We have the inventory, we have the brands, and we have over 250 vaccination sites island wide to deliver…whether private sites or public sites…we have a vaccination site within five miles of your average community in Jamaica,” Dr Tufton explained. “I really want to take the opportunity to encourage Jamaicans to go out and get their shots…to protect themselves.”
Minister Tufton said that the government has received an additional 200,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the United States as a gift, part of the over 600,000 that had been promised. “I want to take the opportunity to thank the American people for this gift,” he said.
Minister Tufton also said that in addition to the barely under 400,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, a further breakdown shows that Jamaica also has 386,000 doses of the Astra Zeneca; 130,635 of the Johnson & Johnson and 198,470 of the Sinopharm.
“I can’t emphasise the point enough that vaccine availability is not the issue. If we were to utilise this quantity to apply the dosage that are necessary, the full initial dose barring the booster shots, we could inoculate some 625,000 Jamaicans,” Dr Tufton added.
“It means that we have no complaints, and the concern now is to get rid of the vaccine…in the proper way…and the way we would like…that we have now in inventory,” he noted.
Dr Tufton said that it is now more than likely that the much talked about Omicron variant will inevitably hit Jamaica, probably sometime in the New Year, cautioning persons not to drop their guard but to continue to follow best practices in combatting what some have described as “the worst pandemic known to man.”
“We do anticipate that at some point the Omicron variant will hit Jamaica. We do believe that it’s a matter of time. From every indication, it’s highly contagious but there are also some encouraging signs that it might not be as lethal as originally thought. In the meantime, we are continuing with our testing…which so far has not seen where the variant is yet on the island.”
Dr Tufton, however, noted that the government is encouraged that the daily COVID numbers have been trending down, noting that frontline workers and health officials must be given kudos for staying the course and for putting themselves on the line in keeping the country safe.
