COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Those Due Second Jab

Not only is there an issue of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Jamaicans, but many are seemingly uncertain about a second dose. At the COVID-19 press briefing on Tuesday, October 26, the Chief Medical Officer disclosed that fewer citizens have been turning up for their second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in October. This while the Ministry plans to dump hundreds of thousands of doses set to expire by October 31 and at the same time vaccinate one million citizens by the end of November.  

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-Mckenzie is warning citizens that they are only fully vaccinated against COVID-19 when they have received the single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine or both doses of a double-dose vaccine. 

Her warning comes from who says up to October 26, over 50,000 persons were due their second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. She says during the first week of the month, more than 38,000 citizens turned up for second doses. But last week, October 17 to 23, only 8,607 persons showed up. The CMO says new vaccine take-up has also decreased. 

She says the country’s vaccination level is still too low to have a positive effect on the transmission of the virus, stressing that of the 1651 COVID-19 deaths between March 1 and October 24, 98% were unvaccinated individuals. 

Public health specialist, Professor Winston Davidson, who is in full support of mandatory vaccination, says the Government should be more concerned about securing enough vaccines, than with the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy present. 

More in this CVM Live story from Aladden Love: