Minister Tufton assures Jamaicans ‘COVID-19 vaccines are certified by WHO’

Jamaica: Minister of Health & Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton is convincing the public that the COVID-19 vaccines to be given to Jamaicans are verified by proven standards.

Greeting in a virtual press briefing on February 11, Dr. Tufton stated Jamaica is making progress in getting supplies outside of the COVAX (COVID-19 Global Access) Facility, and the population will use only COVID-19 vaccines that have the World Health Organization (WHO) approval.

Furthermore, Minister added, “Our selection of a vaccine has to follow a protocol. We will not embrace or approve any vaccine that falls outside a protocol of going through the expert evaluation that the WHO traditionally subjects a vaccine to before it is approved as safe.”

Minister stated that Jamaica has superiors in this field who are involved in the decision as it relates to the vaccines and that the process that Jamaica is following has worked in history. The priority of the administration is the safety of our people.

Additionally, Minister Tufton added, “So, the public can feel safe that when we endorse and make available a vaccine for the population, the country would have taken all the safeguards to protect the health of the populace.”

Meanwhile, the Director of Family Services in the Ministry, Dr. Melody Ennis, said the AstraZeneca vaccine is on the WHO’s emergency use list, and from all the dynamic tests, it has been proven to be safe for persons 18 years and older.

According to Dr. Ennis, the vaccine can be utilized by persons who suffer from various ailments, such as diabetes, heart, hypertension, and others, noting that it is also prescribed for persons over 65, as well as pregnant women, as no allergic reactions have been identified by the experts from persons who have used the vaccine.

A Facebook user commented, “As soon as big foreign countries say – no entry if ‘un-vaccinated’ or being vaccinated is a requirement for visa we will run out of vaccination and the cry for sourcing more no matter the origin will start.”

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