Vaccinations for the General Public to Resume On August 25

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton, says COVID-19 vaccinations for the general public will resume on Wednesday, August 25. The Minister made the announcement during a virtual press conference hosted by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Information on Thursday, August 19.

The resumption of general vaccinations will come after the break for the four-day vaccination blitz for children, 12-18 years, which started on Saturday, August 21, and ends on Tuesday, August 24.

Children are being inoculated with Pfizer vaccines, and are accommodated by their parents, guardians, and teachers. Jamaica received 208,260 doses of Pfizer vaccines, from the United States (US) Government on August 19, as part of a total allocation of over 600,000 doses of that brand. The initial shipment arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.

Dr. Tufton noted that the Pfizer vaccine will now be used with the AstraZeneca brand for the general population. He says 118,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine are on the way. This means there will have three brands available as of this week.

The Minister says though persons are concerned and have preferences when it comes to the different brands of COVID-19 vaccines, they are all safe in terms of efficiency and protection from the virus. He urges persons to not wait until they get the brand they want as all of the brands coming in have been tried, tested, and proven. The exercise aims to have 700,000 Jamaicans vaccinated by the end of September.

Persons who wish to be vaccinated can make their appointments online at https://www.moh.gov.jm or call the Vaccination Call Centre at 888-ONE-LOVE (888-663-5683).

Once the appointment confirmation, persons are asked to go to the assigned vaccination site with their tax registration number (TRN) and government-issued identification (ID), or a letter from a Justice of the Peace (JP). For mobile sites, no appointment is required. However, persons should carry their government-issued ID.