KINGSTON, Jamaica – A shipment of 65,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines donated by Mexico will facilitate the staging of another blitz this weekend to inoculate persons who are due their second dose, Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton said Wednesday.
(left to right) Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith; Executive Director, Mexican Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AMEXCID), Dr. Laura Elena Carrillo Cubillas; and Mexican Ambassador to Jamaica, Juan Jose Gonzalez welcome the arrival of the vaccine doses, donated by the Government of Mexico.He said the aim, from Friday to Sunday, and possibly into Monday, will be to clear the backlog of persons who received their first jab at least eight weeks ago. Some 25,000 to 30,000 persons are now due their second dose.
“The plan is to administer second doses only to those persons who are due their second dose,” the Health Minister said at a press conference at the Norman Manley International Airport, shortly after witnessing the arrival of the shipment.
Dr. Tufton noted that about 257,000 doses of vaccine have been administered, to date, with some 173,000 persons getting their first dose and 84,000 receiving second doses.
He thanked the Government of Mexico for the donation.
“We appreciate the effort and this, again, is an indication of the strength of the friendship [between Jamaica and Mexico],” he said.
Executive Director, Mexican Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AMEXCID), Dr. Laura Elena Carrillo Cubillas, said the donation was a token of her country’s appreciation and respect for the Jamaican people.
“Mexico has long historical ties across the Caribbean Sea especially, with your country. That’s why we recently celebrated more than half a century of diplomatic relations that have brought our people closer, facilitating a better understanding of a rich cultural and artistic heritage, while allowing us to cooperate on important regional and international initiatives,” she said.
