I don't want to die, says vaccinated teen in Manchester

Tamara Bailey/Gleaner Writer

With Jamaica seeing a spike in COVID-19 deaths and hospitalisation, teens who showed up today at the Christiana Health Centre in Manchester for the Pfizer vaccination blitz say they made the decision to become vaccinated for their futures.

"It is scary when I hear about the number of persons that contract the virus and the number of persons who die. I don't want to be a part of the covid death numbers. My mother is fully vaccinated and she was the one who got me to come out today," said 17-year-old Brittney Polack

The youngster who was at the site with seven of her friends said it is important for everyone to make an informed decision about the COVID vaccine and avoid being influenced by rumours.

This was echoed by several other teens, who all agreed that they were motivated to get vaccinated so as to see the resumption of face-to-face teaching.

"I was a bit sceptical at first, but when I think about my whole future, my education and everything and knowing that without vaccination I may not be able to go back to school, I decided to come out and take it, " said 16-year-old Jaciann Morrison.

Morrison said that the imposition of virtual learning due to the pandemic has been difficult to manoeuvre.

"It has been rough. Internet access is a problem and even though the teachers are there it is not as easy as it is face-to-face to talk to them. Some persons learn better face to face."

While many refuse to be vaccinated for several reasons, Morrison encouraged young people to think about their futures.

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