Jamaica achieves one million COVID jab target ahead of schedule

The Government has achieved its target of administering one million COVID-19 jabs ahead of schedule.

This was confirmed to The Gleaner today by Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton.

The milestone comes more than three weeks ahead of the end of November target.

READ: Holness targets one million jabs by November

Noting that the tabulation of today's figures is under way, Tufton informed that data received so far indicated that the million jab threshold has been passed.  

Tufton touted the government's vaccination programme and encouraged more Jamaicans to get the jab.

In a subsequent media release this afternoon, the health ministry informed that as at 2:30 p.m., the country distributed a total of 1,000,455 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Of this number, 553,341 were first doses, 391,782 second doses and 55,333 of the single-dose vaccine.

Jamaica's COVID-19 vaccination programme began in March, with the Government targeting the inoculation of 65% of the population by March 31, 2022.

So far, about 13 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated.

The Government has been offering the two-dose AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines as well as the single-dose Johnson and Johnson shot to Jamaicans.

Jamaica recorded its first case of COVID-19 last March and up to Saturday, the country recorded 94 additional infections, moving the tally to 89,681 with 27,747 of the cases being active.

And the death toll now sits at 2,275.

The country's positivity rate is now at 8.6%.

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