The Ministry of Health and Wellness is reporting more than 4,108 persons had booked appointments to receive coronavirus vaccinations utilising its online registration portal.
This was disclosed by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dunstan Bryan, while addressing the weekly virtual COVID-19 Conversations press briefing yesterday.
He also informed that the majority of persons making appointments utilising the portal, which was launched on Monday (March 22), were senior citizens, with the largest number of registrants being from Kingston and St Andrew.
“We do have some residual healthcare workers who did not vaccinate last week or the week before, who have made appointments, and we do have some Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) officers who have also made appointments on the system,” the Permanent Secretary further indicated.
He advised that there are approximately 31,000 appointment slots available for vaccinations.
Bryan said, overall, there were 128,000 hits on the site, with some 15,800 passwords being issued, and the vaccination call centre fielding approximately 4,000 calls.
“We understand and appreciate that we still have a sizeable number of persons that are required to come online. We are encouraging persons to use the online portal as the most efficient way. However, we do understand and appreciate that there are some persons in the population, especially in [the older] age group, [who] would find this particular method challenging,”
he said.
As such, he encourages persons who can use online resources to register, to use that method, instead of making calls, and “reserve the call centre for those persons who do not have the ability to engage in an online registration process”.
Appointments can be made by registering at www.moh.gov.jm, or by calling the Call Centre Hotline – 888 ONE LOVE (888-663-5683).
He also advised that residents of Portmore in St. Catherine, who experienced challenges registering, may now do so to be inoculated at the designated vaccination centres in the municipality.
These are the Greater Portmore Health Centre and Portmore Seventh-day Adventist Church, which became operational as vaccination facilities at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Mr Bryan explained that due to logistical challenges and other issues arising, both centres were not available for appointments.
“We encourage persons in the Portmore vicinity if you went on to the system and recognised that there are no sites, we invite you to go back on the system… [as] those sites should be available and you can make your appointments for Portmore,”
he said.
