Jamaica gets more COVID vaccines

Jamaica's stock of COVID-19 vaccine increased by 55,200 doses yesterday after a shipment of the AstraZeneca shots arrived in the island at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.

The batch, which represents another allocation from the COVAX Facility, will be added to the pool of vaccines to inoculate persons who are due their second dose, as well as the persons who are being targeted to be vaccinated.

As at last Friday, 155,683 Jamaicans have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, representing eight per cent of the target population. Some 22,206 persons have received their second dose of the vaccine.

Currently Jamaicans 50 years and older, healthcare workers, police, soldiers and fire fighters from the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency, Jamaica Customs Agency and Department of Correctional Services are eligible to be vaccinated based on the country's implementation plan.

In the meantime, the number of persons who have been confirmed to have died from COVID-19 on the island climbed to 945, following three additional deaths on Saturday. There have been 48,467 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on the island, with 22,096 of them classified as being active.

Jamaicans have been forced to endure some strict measures implemented to fight the spread of COVID-19. These include nightly measures that expire today, and Prime Minister Andrew Holness is expected to announce on Tuesday whether they will be modified.