Gov’t Taking Vaccines Into Communities
By: , August 10, 2021
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, addressing a digital press conference at Jamaica House on August 9.The Full Story
The Ministry of Health & Wellness will be conducting more vaccination drives in communities and town centres islandwide to facilitate the inoculation of Jamaicans ages 18 and older with the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.
“The intention is…to now take the vaccines to the population centres, to the communities,” said Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton.
“So instead of the larger blitzes… even though some of those will continue, we are going to be spending some time now to bring the sites into rural communities, urban centres and so make it a lot easier to mobilise the population – the civic leaders, the political leaders, the church leadership – to those centres to encourage participation,” he explained.
Dr. Tufton, who was addressing Monday’s (August 9) virtual press conference at Jamaica House, informed that the Ministry is finalising plans for the roll-out of the community-based intervention and the public will be advised in short order.
He said that the intervention, which was piloted in four communities in West Central St. Catherine and Liguanea, St. Andrew, saw over 1,500 persons receiving their vaccines.
“So, it works, it does pull away the (health) personnel from other things that they have to do, so we have to manage it. We have to schedule it, but it is going to be the next most popular approach to inoculating the population,” he noted.
Dr. Tufton said that pivoting to the community-based approach will help to address some of the concerns and suspicions that some individuals may have on location.
“I believe that based on the discussions with the team, once we get to the community level, part of that communication strategy is not going to be from top down but a parallel (approach) from the level of the community using the community leadership and key influencers,” he pointed out.
“So, the elected representatives will be mobilised, the church leaders will be mobilised. We do believe that concerns, queries, suspicions are going to be able to be dealt with,” he added.