Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, says that Jamaicans who got their first dose of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine in March will begin to receive their second dose this week.

Jamaica received a shipment of 55,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX Facility on last week which will be used to administer the shots. Some 40,000 persons are due to be inoculated.

  Dr Tufton advised persons who took the first dose of the vaccine, and are unsure of when they are due for the second dose, to check the information on the vaccination cards that were issued to them.

He is appealing to persons to get their second dose in order to ensure maximum protection against the virus.

            “It is so important that we do not get complacent in thinking that a first dose is enough. It gives you some protection, but the second dose is what you need to give you the optimal protection,” Dr Tufton noted.

            “Make it your duty, for your own protection, to take your second dosage as we continue to ensure that we inoculate as many persons as possible,” he stressed.

            Meanwhile, Dr Tufton is appealing to Jamaicans to take the shot as it becomes available to them.

A vaccination appointment can be scheduled by visiting the Ministry’s website at www.moh.gov.jm or by calling the National Vaccination Hotline at 888-ONE-LOVE (888-663-5683).