Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton, addressing the COVID Conversations press conference on Thursday
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Dr. Christopher Tufton
The Ministry of Health is aiming to administer COVID-19 vaccines to 150,000 people over the next week.
Jamaica is set to receive 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine Friday afternoon from the United Kingdom.
Speaking during a media briefing on Thursday evening, Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton said these doses will be immediately dispatched to the various sites across Jamaica so that vaccinations can begin on Saturday.
"We want to administer all 300,000 - first and second dose - by the end of September, with a eight week gap between the two. And so, it's so important that for the first week or so, we move very quickly to administer up to 150,000."
"It's a very ambitious target but let us bear in mind that we did deliver 83,000 doses in four days with our first blitz," Dr. Tufton pointed out.
He reiterated that all persons 18 years and older will be eligible to get the vaccine.
Persons will be able to begin making appointments via the ministry's website on Friday or by calling 888-ONE-LOVE (663-5683).
However, Dr. Tufton noted that no one would be turned away even if they failed to register. "If you turn up we're going to have a holding area, you might have to wait a little longer, but you will get your vaccine," he sought to assure.
The health minister said another batch of vaccines should arrive in the country next week but urged Jamaicans not to wait for other shipments or vaccine brands to get inoculated.
"The cardinal rule to vaccination against COVID-19 is to take the first one you get, and in our case, the value of that principle should lie in the fact that as a government and as a country, we do not accept vaccines that do not go through clinical trials and pass the test for efficacy and safety," he declared.
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