Close to 200 residents of Maverley and surrounding communities in St Andrew were on Saturday (October 2) given a boost to protect themselves from COVID-19, following a vaccination drive organised by the Rotary Club of Trafalgar New Heights (RCTNH) in the community.

The club partnered with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the community group, Voices for Jamaica Foundation, to stage the event in the Maverley Park.

“We are really pleased with the outcome,” said Dr Suzanne McDonald Fowles, president of RCTNH.

200 LIVES SAVED

“We had a very ambitious target to immunise 500 residents, but we are happy with the numbers achieved, especially given the high level of hesitancy that continues to take hold of our communities, due mainly to disinformation that has been affecting the level of understanding about how the vaccines protect against severe disease and death,” McDonald Fowles said.

“Today’s (October 2) drive means the lives of 200 more people have been saved, and that we are 200 more lives closer to achieving the levels of inoculation necessary for developing herd immunity and getting our country and economy back on track to normalcy,” she said.

Up to this past weekend, more than 1,900 people had died from COVID-19 in Jamaica in the space of 18 months, with 25 reported deaths alone on Saturday. Nearly 85,000 people have been infected.

The 200 people vaccinated in Maverley on Saturday add to the approximately 500 vaccinations achieved a little more than a week before at the nearby Pembroke Hall Community Centre staged by Dr Nigel Clarke, member of parliament for St Andrew North Western, who attended the RCTNH drive briefly on Saturday to lend support.

“I am very thankful to the many volunteers from the community, including the Faith Chapel at the Faith Apostolic Ministries, which allowed us to conduct the registration of the residents in their sanctuary in Maverley Park; the medical doctors and volunteers from the Rotaract Club of Kingston, who gave of their time and effort; and the private sector companies, which provided support,” McDonald Fowles said.

Medical supplies distributors, Cari-Med and Coldfield Distributors- makers of Big Jo, Country Style and Pure Country juices, among other brands- as well as consumer foods distributors Seprod, which all provided refreshments and supplies.

Fowles encouraged other service clubs and groups to undertake similar drives and invited others to partner with her organisation to expand vaccine access to Jamaicans.

“Our support for the community does not end here,” McDonald Fowles underscored. “This is a community we have worked with for many years and so we will be returning in a matter of weeks to administer second doses and to assist those persons who will be ready at that time to make the decision to protect themselves.”

RCTNH, chartered in December 2008, is a service club comprised of young professionals who target a variety of projects to young children, adolescents and vulnerable groups, such as the physically disabled. For its Rotary Year, which commenced in July 2021, the club will focus its projects on supporting the National Vaccination Programme.