Jamaicans are being urged to get vaccinated for the influenza virus as a combination of the flu, dengue, and COVID-19 could be dire for those who are most vulnerable and strain the public health system.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton made the call Thursday evening at the ministry’s weekly virtual ‘COVID Conversations’ forum. He said last year less than half of the 25,000 vaccines which were made available were taken up.

“Even in the case of frontline persons, many shied away from taking the vaccine. Not many Jamaicans are interested in taking the flu vaccine. I want to encourage those particularly of a particular age cohort to seek out the vaccine,” he stressed.

Dr Tufton said 23,000 doses of the flu vaccine were recently imported. Priority is given to health workers, the security forces, immigration officers, other frontline workers, and vulnerable people such as the elderly, those in infirmaries, and individuals with underlying chronic illnesses.

“Take it if you have access to it; seek it out if you’re vulnerable, because this triple threat that we face could be that much worse for you if you avoid the preventative methods and you end up getting one or a combination of the three,” he implored.

He also urged Jamaicans to be vigilant regarding the risk of dengue, as although the country is doing well by World Health Organization standards, the mosquito-borne illness is still a threat, particularly at this time of year.

He pointed out that the two viruses and dengue have common symptoms, which complicate matters.

“They also share some symptoms, which could become a challenge in distinguishing whether one has the flu or COVID, so it’s very important that if you have any of these symptoms that you get checked out by a doctor. There is one significant difference, and it’s that there is a vaccine that you can take to protect you against the flu,” he noted.

The flu season begins in November each year and usually ends in March, but can be prolonged up to May.

Last year 80 Jamaicans died from dengue, and health experts are predicting that, in a worst-case scenario, more than 300 people could be infected, and that between three and five people could die from complications of dengue weekly.

Head of Family Health Services Dr Melonie Ennis pointed to an international study which indicates that people who who are vaccinated against the flu, if they contract COVID-19, are less severely impacted, and that there were less deaths.

Meanwhile, Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Karen Webster Kerr said the country has not been seeing many cases of dengue and that influenza illnesses have decreased, which means that the year should end well for country, in respect of COVID-19 and influenza, but only if people follow the preventative measures which are similar.

The health minister stressed that COVID-19 still remains the most significant public health threat to the country, but combined with the other two illnesses could present the “perfect storm” putting the health system under significant pressure.

Dr Tufton also announced a partnership with two private labs for the provision of PCR testing to the public for COVID-19. They are Carigen working with Microlabs, and Technology Solutions Limited, which has been approved to conduct testing of surfaces for the presence of the virus.

Additionally, partnerships for antigen testing are to be announced in the coming weeks, he advised.