Record Number of Jamaicans Vaccinated on Lockdown Day

Over 21,000 Jamaicans were vaccinated on Tuesday, August 24, one of the days that the government has designated as a “no movement day” for the country.

While the country was on lockdown, the Ministry of Health and Wellness allowed Jamaicans who wanted to be vaccinated to leave their homes and head to vaccination sites.

The number represents a record for the highest number of persons vaccinated in one day since the COVID-19 Vaccination program began in March. Approximately 40% of those vaccinated on Tuesday, were children between 12-18 years old and the remainder were persons over 18 years.

Jamaica had received some 200,000 Pfizer vaccines from the United States last week, which the government had set aside for children.

In recognizing this record, Health & Wellness Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton said, “I want to express my deep appreciation to the healthcare team, especially for their efforts today in reaching this record number. Our healthcare workers remain a critical component of our vaccination program and we must take every opportunity to salute them.”

The record number of persons, who turned out on Tuesday, meant that persons had to wait longer than anticipated.

Dr. Tufton has noted that the Ministry will review the process to ensure that the waiting experience is improved. “I want to use this opportunity to thank members of the public who came out today to be vaccinated to protect themselves and help the country achieve our goal of inoculating 65% of the population by March 2020. At the same time, we know that the wait was longer than expected and we thank the public for their cooperation. The Ministry will be reviewing this, with a view to implementing improvements in the wait experience and efficiency relating to vaccination delivery,” Dr. Tufton added.

The Ministry will continue its vaccination program to achieve its goal of vaccinating 700,000 residents by the end of September.