Lockdown, school reopening preparations blamed for slow vaccination day

Preparations by Jamaicans for three days of no movement and the impending resumption of classes on Monday are being cited for the low turnout at vaccination sites across the Corporate Area, St Catherine and Thomas.

This was the assessment of Dr Sandra Chambers Gause, regional technical director at the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), which covers those parishes as well as Kingston and St Andrew.

Empty chairs and seated nurses were commonplace at the National Arena in St Andrew when The Gleaner visited the location this morning.

Up to 11 a.m., less than 200 individuals had shown up to be vaccinated.

This was a stark contrast to earlier this week which saw large crowds descending on the National Arena to receive the COVID-19 jab.

Before midday on Monday, the vaccination site had to be closed as it had reached its capacity.

“Today is a slow day. It is going to be a slow day because people who were working throughout the week are using today as their final day to top up their households, sort out back to school or whatever it is that they need to do,” Chambers Gause told The Gleaner.

She noted that today is the first time she has seen nurses being able to relax since the start of the national inoculation drive.

She revealed that the situation is similar across the other parishes.

“Today is the day before the lockdown and everyone is shopping. I figure that is the problem. Then you have Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, no-movement days, when we are going to be here so I am sure that they can do nothing else,” she elaborated.

“The only thing they can do on the road is come here so they may choose to come on those days. I am anticipating that more people will come on the lockdown days,” she added.

In anticipation of the expected demand for vaccination on no-movement days, more medical personnel have been recruited for the crowds.

“I believe it is just for today, tomorrow will prove us otherwise. I believe tomorrow is going to be a better day and maybe persons will come later in the afternoon as they finish whatever they are doing in the morning,” said Chambers Gause.

- David Salmon

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