Jamaica is set to launch its vaccination program against the spread of COVID-19 amid an uptick in cases.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dunstan Bryan announced Monday that healthcare workers will be the first of more than 3,280 people to get their shots on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness accepted the first 50,000 doses of vaccines from India on Monday.
Jamaica is launching its vaccination program as Holness warned there will be a national lockdown if the COVID-19 safety protocols do not slow infections over the next three weeks.
During Monday’s news conference, the prime minister also said the desire of people “to party and go about not wearing your mask has to be balanced against the need against someone who will be deprived of care because we simply have no beds,” a reference to people ignoring safety protocols.
So far, Jamaica has confirmed a little more than 26,026 infections and 453 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University Covid Resource Center.
