Health Minister Encouraged By Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Take-Up
By: , September 6, 2021
Photo: Serena Grant
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (right), talks with citizens awaiting vaccination at the Grange Hill High School in Westmoreland on Thursday ( September 2). He was visiting vaccination sites and engaging in community sensitisation sessions in the parish.
Photo: Serena Grant
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, addresses persons awaiting vaccination at the Grange Hill High School in Westmoreland on Thursday ( September 2). He was visiting vaccination sites and engaging in community sensitisation sessions in the parish.The Full Story
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says he is encouraged by the increasing number of persons taking the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.
Dr. Tufton said this demonstrated that the message of the vaccine’s effectiveness against the virus, particularly in reducing the possibility of severe illness, “is getting to [the people]”.
He was speaking with JIS News during a tour of vaccination sites in Westmoreland, as well as the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital in the parish, on Thursday (September 2).
Dr. Tufton, along with Ministry representatives, also did a drive-through of several communities in the parish, during which he encouraged persons to get vaccinated.
He underscored the need for a collective approach to bolster vaccine take-up by Jamaicans, noting efforts to this end by a number of stakeholders and interests.
“I think as we add additional layers of support, we will get more responses, and that is good. Now that we have [a significant supply of] the vaccine in stock, we can do all the multiple channels and the multiple approaches [of sensitisation], and you will see more over the next couple of weeks,” the Minister pointed out.
Dr. Tufton encouraged citizens who are still skeptical about the vaccines to give serious consideration to getting inoculated, in light of the significant dislocation caused by surging infections.
“Too many of us have lost loved ones. We have seen the downtime from closures, and we must get back to normal life. The vaccines represent the best approach to doing that,” he underscored.
The Minister also commended the health team in Westmoreland for the work they are doing in ensuring that persons across the parish are vaccinated.
As part of the day’s activities, Dr. Tufton and a team from the Health Ministry also did a drive-through of several communities in Westmoreland, during which he encouraged persons to get vaccinated.
They also handed out masks and hand sanitisers to persons at vaccination sites that were visited.