Parents Urged to Facilitate Vaccination of Children

Director of Family Health Services in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. Melody Ennis, is urging parents to facilitate their children getting vaccinated, as the Government moves to protect children against the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19).

“This vaccine will prevent them from becoming severely ill… we are confident that parents will agree and come along with their children to be vaccinated,” she said, while addressing the Ministry’s weekly virtual COVID Conversations press conference on Thursday (August 12).

Noting that some children have underlying health conditions, Dr. Ennis said they will be targeted, once the Pfizer vaccine is on the island.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of the Pfizer vaccine for persons aged 12 and above.

Jamaica is set to receive its first shipment of 200,000 doses of Pfizer on Tuesday (August 17), with children and adolescents to be given priority access.

This represents the first tranche of approximately 600,000 doses and will further bolster the Government’s COVID-19 vaccination programme.

The Ministry will begin administering the vaccine on August 23 at all vaccination sites.

Focus will be placed on children 15 years and older with parental consent as well as children 12 years and older with comorbid conditions.

Meanwhile, with vaccine activities being intensified across the island, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, is reminding persons, who have contracted COVID-19, to ensure that their symptoms are resolved, and that they complete the 14-day isolation period before taking the vaccine.

“We encourage persons to come out and take the vaccine, [but] if you are ill, wait until your symptoms have subsided, your isolation is finished, or come and get tested,” she said.