Uptake in Vaccination

Melissa Diaz-Musa

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is reporting an uptake in vaccination ahead of the October first change in policy. Over the last few weeks, persons, including children ages twelve to seventeen, have been getting inoculated with one of the four available COVID vaccines in the country. The data shows that one hundred and eighty-four thousand, six hundred and three persons have received at least one dose of vaccine; there are one hundred and four thousand, eight hundred and forty-eight persons that have been fully vaccinated and twenty thousand, six hundred and seventy-five children have also received the vaccine. Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa of the Central Health Region spoke to News Five today about the increasing number of vaccinated persons.

Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Deputy Regional Health Manager, Central Health Region

“We’ve consistently been seeing an increase in the number of children between twelve and seventeen coming in to get vaccinated. Last week we saw a good uptake that added towards the fully vaccinated because that was the twenty-one days for the persons who had initially come in for Pfizer. The twenty-one days started last week and so we saw those persons and in addition to that5 we had opened Pfizer up to the general population as well so definitely we saw quite a lot of people waiting for the Pfizer who were outside the twelve to seventeen bracket coming in to get that vaccine. As you know we had also received Janssen and Janssen and within fourteen days you start to get significant immunity against severe disease and hospitalization. So we’ve also seen quite a significant increase in uptake for persons coming in for the J and J as well.”