Four-day Pfizer vaccination exercise for young people
Published:Thursday | August 19, 2021 | 4:53 PM
The Ministry of Health and Wellness is to undertake a four-day vaccination blitz, starting on Saturday, to vaccinate children 12 years and older with the Pfizer vaccine.
Jamaica earlier today received 208,260 doses of the vaccine from the United States.
This is the first tranche of a donation of approximately 600,000 doses.
Speaking at a press conference today, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton and Minister of Education Fayval Williams appealed to parents and guardians of children to support the vaccination drive.
It was argued that securing a high rate of vaccination is important for the resumption of face-to-face teaching, with the new academic year to begin on September 6.
“Please avail yourselves of information from credible sources, not from Tik Tok or what you see on social media when somebody sends you a Whatsapp. Go to credible sources; listen to the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Parents, this weekend is yours. We expect you to turn out in your numbers across Jamaica, help us to get our schools open again. Help us to hear the joy and sounds of our children in the schools,” said Williams in an impassioned appeal.
“Of course you still have to observe all the protocols, especially on the way to school and back home. The mask and hand sanitising, social distancing in and out of the classroom, we still have to use this as part of our protocols,” she added.
For his part, Tufton insisted that the Pfizer vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective for use in children and teens against COVID-19.
“It has gone through all the clinical trials, all the expert assessments and is deemed to be safe for use in that age cohort across the board hence the prioritisation of this cohort.
“Our intention is to ensure that our young people form part of that category of the vaccinated. I say this is our priority this weekend from Saturday into Tuesday for 12-18-year-olds,” said Tufton.
The health minister reiterated that the government is aiming to vaccinate some 700,000 persons by the end of September.
- Christopher Serju
Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.