Coronavirus
JAM | May 14, 2021

Vaccine hesitancy a hindrance to Jamaica’s vaccination implementation plan

Juanique Tennant

Juanique Tennant / Our Today

Reading Time: 2 minutes
Dr Melody Ennis, Director of Family Health Services

Despite seeing an uptick in vaccinations thanks to April’s four-day vaccination blitz exercise, Director of Family Health Services, Dr Melody Ennis says overarching vaccine hesitancy among priority groups continues to impact the health ministry’s inoculation efforts.

According to Ennis, who spoke during Thursday (May 13) evening’s COVID Conversations, “a lot of persons are in the wait and see mode, (as it concerns vaccination). We are waiting to see more persons get vaccinated before persons step up to take their shot…”.

As a result of this, Ennis noted that “we recognise that there is great hesitancy in person’s accepting the COVID-19 vaccine”.

However, she said that this vaccine hesitancy “is not unique to Jamaica”.

In an international study that tracked vaccine acceptance across 79 countries, results showed that 66 per cent of the countries tracked were accepting of the vaccine in January but, by February, this number saw a decline to 63 per cent acceptance.

Ennis argued, therefore, that the decline in acceptance could be “attributed to the misinformation that is out there for all to see…”.

Second vaccination blitz exercise taking place at the National Arena (Photo:CvmTv)

She took the opportunity to remind viewers that “information must be credible. We need to look at the source of the information and it must be authentic before we actually accept and believe what we see”.

Referencing local surveys and focus groups, Ennis said these revealed that “approximately 30 – 50 per cent of persons would be accepting of the vaccine”.

Despite this, what Ennis found most concerning was the low take-up of vaccines by persons within the vulnerable group’s age 60 and older.

She noted that, to date, only 15. 9 per cent of those who fell within the group 60 to 69 and 17.9 per cent of those in the group 80 and over had been vaccinated.

To individuals within these groups who have not yet received their jab, Ennis said she is “encouraging these persons to go online, make their appointments and fall in line to be vaccinated”, especially because they are most at risk as it relates to worst-case COVID-19 outcomes.

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