More than 1,000 Elders Vaccinated at Second Blitz
April 7, 2021
KINGSTON, JAMAICA, Sunday, April 4, 2021: The Ministry of Health & Wellness on Saturday April 3 hosted a second Vaccination Blitz at the National Arena, where persons 75 years and older were registered and invited to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Later in the day, persons 60 years and older were also allowed to be vaccinated. At the close of the vaccination session, some 1,038 persons were inoculated with their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca.
In hosting this second vaccination blitz, a different approach was employed, as the Ministry introduced a community based intervention aimed at increasing participation in the COVID-19 Vaccination Implementation Programme. This intervention saw five Members of Parliament in the Kingston and St Andrew area mobilizing their constituents to be vaccinated. Moving forward, the Ministry will be working with the Electoral Office of Jamaica, MPs and Councillors to assist with the identification, registration and movement of the targeted groups to the relevant vaccination sites. The options of persons registering online on the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ website and through our National Vaccination Hotline still remain.
Multiple Blitz Sites Coming
As of Saturday, April 10, the Vaccination Blitz will be rolled out islandwide at the following locations: The National Arena, Celebration Church (Portmore), SDC Office St. Thomas, Montego Bay Convention Centre (St. James), Lucea Anglican Church (Hanover), Denbigh Show Ground (Clarendon), St Mark’s Anglican Parish Church (Manchester), St Matthew’s Anglican Parish Church (St Elizabeth), Bahia Principe Resort (St. Ann), Trelawny Multi-Purpose Centre, Gayle Civic Centre (St Mary) and Folly Oval (Portland).
As at April 1, 2021, 42,754 Jamaicans have received their first dose of the AstraZeneca Vaccine, representing of 2% of the population.
The Ministry thanks the health teams from the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) and the Ministry of Health and Wellness, along with the JDF, JCF and the team from the Private Sector Vaccine Initiative who provided critical support during the planning and execution of the day’s event.