Rain or storm, student vaccination pushes ahead in St Catherine
Published:Sunday | August 22, 2021 | 12:30 PM
Rasbert Turner/Gleaner Writer
Not even a freak storm that triggered screams and chaotic scenes at the Portmore HEART Academy in St Catherine could put a damper on the first day of COVID-19 vaccination of students and their parents or guardians on Saturday.
The bad weather brought proceedings to a halt temporarily.
"The tent lift up and started flying," Kimberly Salmon told The Gleaner.
"It was a frightening experience - chairs flying, children screaming, and soldiers hanging on to the tent as the winds howled."
Logistics coordinator for the student blitz, Conrad Wiggan, confirmed Salmon's recollection, including how the gusts sent a 100x40 tent flying.
"There was some rain, then this freak storm started. The situation was brought under control and the occupants were relocated. It was a miracle nobody got physically hurt," he said.
Smooth flow
Wiggan said that the inoculation exercise, which focused on the dispensing of the Pfizer vaccine to students aged 15-18 - and those 12 and over who have underlying illnesses - went smoothly.
Approximately 450 persons were vaccinated in Portmore, with a total of 1,103 overall in the parish of St Catherine.
At Eltham Park High School, scores of parents, guardians and students braved the rain to be vaccinated.
Among them was Abigail Pinnock, who was upbeat about getting her shot.
She is looking forward to getting her second dose in three weeks' time.
Sudeth Clarke said the process went well.
"Even my young son wanted it, but he is too young, so his 12-year-old sister took it. She is now ready for face to face," said Clarke.
Jamaica's schools have been mostly closed to in-person instruction since March 2020 when the first case of the coronavirus was detected here.
Since then, online classes have been the primary means of interaction, but reviews of its effectiveness have been mixed, with alarming levels of learning loss being registered across the country.
The academic year begins in September with virtual classes and the Ministry of Education has targeted an October start to face-to-face classes with vaccinated children.
St Catherine Central Member of Parliament Olivia Grange said she would be providing transportation of vaccination candidates to sites for the rest of the blitz.
"Today was a success and it makes the school community safer," Grange said of Saturday's immunisation drive.
"This means that Jamaica will be safer, so don't listen to those who are against vaccination."
Health officials registered 186 vaccinations at Jose Marti Technical High, 185 at Dinthill Technical High, and 282 at Eltham High.
13,000 vaccinated
More than 13,000 vaccinations were conducted islandwide on Saturday.
Dr Francia Prosper-Chen, medical officer of health for St Catherine, is hopeful that thousands more persons will participate in the four-day blitz, which ends Tuesday.
"We are just anxious for more," Prosper-Chen said.
"It is hoped that persons are aware that they can attend vaccination centres on the no-movement day."
Jamaica has administered 442,934 doses, according to the Ministry of Health's vaccine tracker, but only 140,000 persons, or five per cent of the population, are fully vaccinated.
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