Red Stripe is anticipating full participation from its employees and those of other companies along Spanish Town Road in Kingston when its ‘Trust the Facts. Get the Vax!’ vaccination drive gets under way next Wednesday (September 8) along the industrial belt.

The vaccination drive forms part of the Private Sector Vaccine Initiative (PSVI) and will be held in partnership with Pepsi Cola Jamaica, Jamaica Biscuit Company and Celebration Brands Ltd.

“We recognise the unquestionable positive impact of direct outreach especially with the spread of new variants and the level of vaccination required to achieve herd immunity,” said Red Stripe Managing Director Luis Prata. 

“Given these tailwinds and headwinds, as employers, we are uniquely positioned to support COVID-19-vaccine adoption. Spanish Town Road is the centre of gravity for Jamaica’s manufacturing industry, so we must make it as easy as possible for our teams to receive the vaccine. We are therefore happy to support the public health drive for the benefit of the community.”

With both Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines available for uptake, Red Strip said employees may also register children for shots to support the return to face-to-face school. 

Lauding the high level of interest from other manufacturing companies to participate in the vaccination drive, Prata said: “Conviction and collaboration are key ways to increase vaccine awareness to protect the health of Jamaicans. And so, through our education campaign on the facts where we share authoritative, credible, and accessible information on the safety, efficacy, and side effects of available vaccines; we support our employees to make informed decisions on taking the vaccine.”

He added: “Combining this with our initiative to make vaccination as convenient as possible is another important enabler to support COVID-19-vaccine adoption. By increasing the proximity of vaccination availability we hope to ease the burden on our employees.”