Tufton urges Jamaicans to get vaccinated as COVID cases increase
KINGSTON, Jamaica— Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton reiterated his call for Jamaicans to get vaccinated during Thursday’s COVID Conversations.
He added that as people get back to the things they love the number of positive COVID cases has increased, which includes the dominant and highly transmissible Omicron BA.2 variant which was detected in Jamaica in March 2022.
“There is no doubt that we need to increase the vaccination numbers and it is a concern in light of this new variant that we get vaccinated,” the minister said.
He went on to encourage the practice of COVID preventative measures in order to keep virus cases low.
“The positivity rate suggests that more people will get infected in the coming weeks. [So] protect yourself by practicing mask wearing, handwashing and sanitising and wearing your mask when you find yourself in a vulnerable position. We encourage Jamaicans to get vaccinated,” Tufton said.
The minister stated that there are 1.415 million COVID vaccines on the island and reiterated that “vaccines are safe”.
During the COVID Conversations it was revealed that though virus cases are on the rise, the number of COVID deaths remain low, affecting mainly those over 60 years, and people with non-communicable diseases.