The Ministry of Health and wellness has started the administration of the China-made Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine to Jamaicans 18 years and older.

These persons are invited to book a vaccination appointment to receive the first of two doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.

Appointments can be made by using the online portal at the Ministry of Health & Wellness’s website (www.moh.gov.jm) or by calling the National Vaccination Call Centre at 888-ONE-LOVE (888-663-5683). The ministry is reminding persons to take along a government-issued identification or letter from a Justice of the Peace.

The People’s Republic of China donated a shipment of Sinopharm vaccine that arrived in Jamaica on November 27, 2021.

The Ministry said with the national rollout beginning on Monday, the vaccine will be made available at select vaccination sites islandwide.

The Ministry of Health is assuring the public that the Sinopharm vaccine has been proven safe and effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalisation, and death associated with COVID-19. The two-dose vaccine requires a period of three to four weeks between doses.