Crowds gathered at the National Arena in Kingston on Tuesday to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Many were turned back after the site reached capacity.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness
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Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie and Manchester resident Doran Levy
The Ministry of Health has used all 75,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine received last week that on the brink of expiration.
The vaccines were sent from stocks held by South Africa and would have expired on Tuesday.
In the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the government accepted the donation "and took an ambitious approach to undertaking a mass vaccination campaign...to use as many of the doses as possible."
He said he was pleased to report the country had used all the vaccines doses on the final day of the mass vaccination blitz.
In its bid to deplete the expiring doses, the government had relaxed its registration process and allowed anyone who wanted the vaccine to access it over the five-day blitz.
A number of COVID-19 vaccination sites closed early on Tuesday and many people were turned back due to a high demand for the medication.
The closed sites were National Arena, Manchester High School, Sandals Inn on Kent Avenue in St. James and all locations in Westmoreland.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie told Radio Jamaica News that the sites had reached capacity.
The ministry said at other vaccination sites, priority was given to persons who had appointments.
The Ministry of Health will resume its regular appointment system for the vaccine on Wednesday.
A Manchester resident who spoke with Radio Jamaica News, Doran Levy, said he was disappointed that he was unable to get inoculated on Tuesday.
Vaccination supplies for the mass blitz sites across that parish were depleted well before midday.
Mr. Levy argued that the Government was not doing enough to source vaccines and called for it to remedy the situation urgently.
The Ministry of Health has said persons who are not vaccinated at this time will be able to participate in the next blitz which will be announced soon.
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