APPROXIMATELY 450,000 Jamaicans are to be immunised against the novel coronavirus next year, when the first batch of vaccines is expected to be shipped to the island, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has reported.

The disclosure was made in the Lower House yesterday, where members were told that the vaccine will be administered to 16 per cent of the population, with health officials and seniors being identified as priority.

The minister said the projection is to have vaccines ready for administration to one per cent of the initial 16 per cent of the population by April, another three per cent by mid-2021, and the remainder by the end of the year.

Noting that the country has recorded more than 11,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 260 deaths to date, Tufton said the vaccination of the population must form part of the country’s response to the virus.

He cautioned, however, that the country cannot hang “all our hopes on vaccination”, noting that vigilance will have to be maintained with other response measures as the fight against the pandemic continues.

He added, too, that while it is ideal that most Jamaicans are vaccinated promptly, this is unlikely to be achieved, “at least in the short term”.

“The fact is we have another year or so before I think we will be in a position where the world can breathe a sigh of relief that based on vaccination as a solution, significant progress would have been made. We, therefore, have to manage the process very carefully,” said Tufton.

In addition to the naming of a commission, which, he said is comprised of a multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder group of individuals, discussions are being had on a national deployment and vaccination plan.

He said elements of that plan include the management structure; a review of the legal framework; demand generation and communication; training; vaccine cold chain and logistics; safety surveillance; and information systems.

The minister said once finalised, the plan will be shared with the country, “in whose best interest we are operating as we seek to secure for them the best possible health outcomes from COVID-19”.

— Kimone Francis