NHF Chairman Howard Mitchell - file photo
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Howard Mitchell
Some 100,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are expected to arrive in Jamaica on Friday from the COVAX Facility.
Howard Mitchell, Chairman of the National Health Fund, provided the update on the Morning Agenda on Power 106.
He said another shipment of the Pfizer vaccine is due next week.
"I believe before Wednesday or Thursday of next week, you will receive another 200,000 from the United States donation. So that should cover all of the need for the second dose and take us a far way to vaccinating our children so they can get back to school," he indicated.
On Wednesday, Jamaica received 45,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the Government of Suriname.
While there appears to be a greater demand among Jamaicans for the Pfizer doses, Mr. Mitchell lamented that purchasing this brand of COVID-19 vaccine will cost the government significantly more compared to other brands of the medicine.
"It's unfortunate because Pfizer is one of the more expensive vaccines. It's (US)$16 to $20 a dose for Pfizer as opposed to $4.50 for AstraZeneca and $7.50 for Johnson and Johnson," he revealed, adding that it will be "a huge strain on the country's resources if we have to continue along this line."
He said the situation is compounded by the fact that the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine appears to wane faster than that of the AstraZeneca, which means the government might have to consider booster shots soon.
Privileges for fully vaccinated people
The NHF Chairman has said he supports the recommendation for fully vaccinated people to be allowed to resume regular activities.
Earlier this week, the National COVID-19 Vaccination Operationalisation Task Force said vaccinated people should be allowed to attend sporting and other social events.
Mr. Mitchell agrees that those who have taken the vaccine should be incentivised.
"If somebody takes the decision to get the vaccine, makes the effort to get the vaccine, why shouldn't they get the benefit of being able to expose themselves to the rest of the world, when it is clear that a vaccine does two things: one, it reduces the impact of the virus on you, and two, it reduces your ability to infect others."
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