ST JAMES, Jamaica— Director of Family Health Services in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr Melody Ennis, is appealing for residents in western Jamaica to get the COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes available.

She said that the vaccine is critical in reducing the transmission of infection, thereby ensuring that the economy can fully reopen and that a normal way of life can resume.

 “It appears that it is vaccine that will tip the scale back to where it ought to be where we have healthy people, who are able to travel, enjoy sports, get back to work, socialise, go to church, etc. You should all go out once the vaccines are here and get vaccinated,” she urged.

Dr Ennis was addressing a virtual COVID-19 vaccination sensitisation session staged by the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) yesterday, to build trust and dispel myths surrounding vaccination.

Stakeholders across various sectors participated in the session, where they were provided with information about the vaccines being procured by the Government, the first shipment of which is expected to arrive in the island tomorrow.

Dr Ennis said more than 70 fixed sites have already been identified across the country to begin administering the first phase of the vaccine.