NAJ concerned house-to-house inoculation drive could be hampered by vaccine hesitancy

 

The Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) is concerned that hesitancy will put a damper on the success of the house-to-house COVID-19 vaccination programme, which got underway on Sunday in 10 parishes.

 

While NAJ President Patsy Edwards Henry admitted that the programme will be useful in addressing the issue of accessibility to vaccines that some people face, she said the process will also be slow due to what is involved, including counselling and the observation of persons.

 

Mrs Edwards Henry says despite public education on the vaccines, she expects nurses will still have to contend with people refusing to be inoculated "because of the hesitancy and the challenges and the stories".

 

The house-to-house vaccination programme has started, with teams comprising public health nurses and community health aides from Hanover, Manchester, St. Elizabeth, Trelawny, Westmoreland, St. Ann, St. Mary, Portland and St. Thomas being deployed to communities to administer the vaccines to shut-ins, disabled persons and the elderly.

 

Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton has said the programme is intended to take vaccines to communities that are not close to a fixed site and to persons who are not able to travel to get inoculated.

 

There are currently two vaccines being administered in Jamaica – the AstraZeneca and the single-dose Johnson and Johnson.