Jamaica Dumps Over 180,00 Doses of Vaccines

Jamaica says its supply of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines will be significantly increased over the next few days even as the country confirmed that it has had to discard 185,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine after they had expired over the last weekend.

A government statement said that more than half a million doses of vaccines will be received “over the next few days,” even as the island received 369,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines on Monday. It said that these vaccines are a gift from the Canadian government.

“Another 204,000 doses of Pfizer is also expected to arrive in the country on Wednesday. These vaccines, as previously announced, will be used to inoculate members of the population, who are awaiting their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The balance will be prioritized for children 12-17 years old,” the statement said.

It said people awaiting their second dose of vaccine must schedule an appointment and that they will be able to choose their preferred date, time and vaccination center.

“Members of the public should take a government-issued identification (school ID for students) or letter from a Justice of the Peace and their vaccination card to their appointments.”

Jamaica aims to have 40% of its population take at least one dose of the vaccine by the end of the year.