Committee to oversee Jamaica's COVID-19 vaccine introduction

Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton has provided details on the committee which will oversee the introduction of a COVID-19 vaccine in Jamaica.

The National COVID-19 Vaccine Coordinating Committee will be established shortly.

Dr. Tufton told Tuesday's sitting of the House of Representatives that it will comprise experts from the public and private sectors, including “clinical experts within the Ministry of Health & Wellness… logistics planning experts, social behavioral experts to manage the behavioral change that must accompany the implementation.”

The work of this committee will be complemented by a public education programme, he added.

Parliamentary Committee

The Health Minister has also recommended the re-establishment of Parliament's Special Select Committee on COVID-19, telling the House that Cabinet had agreed that this should be done.

The Joint Select Committee had been set up in the wake of the arrival of the pandemic in Jamaica on March 10, and had been holding regular meetings prior to the dissolution of Parliament for the holding of the general election in September.

Dr Tufton said the names of the reconstituted committee will be announced at the next sitting of Parliament.