Retired nurse glad to take jab
Published:Friday | March 12, 2021 | 12:22 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Eighty-one-year-old retired nurse Herma Bryant-Manning was among those stepping forward for her first jab of the AstraZeneca vaccine for protection from the deadly coronavirus at the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon yesterday.
“I have seen what is going on, and I’m really concerned about the spike and people who won’t comply. I’m in the age group where I can pick up anything at this time,” Bryant-Manning said of her decision to take the vaccine.
Bryant-Manning, who served as a nurse for 50 years, told The Gleaner that she had never seen anything like the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I would advise everyone to take the vaccine because throughout my years, we have had many vaccines, and it would protect you from any other thing that is coming. There are different strains of this virus; we don’t know when it’s going to end,” she reasoned.
Yesterday, Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton expressed satisfaction with the progress the Clarendon Health Services has made in its vaccination programme, noting that on Wednesday’s first day, it had surpassed by 10 its target of administering 60 shots.
“The facility here is very laid out. All the stages of registration, counselling, vaccine administration, observation, and documentation are in place. The facility is very comfortable and the staff here are all motivated. I’m very pleased with what I’m seeing,” Tufton told The Gleaner during a visit yesterday.
“I want to use the opportunity to commend the public health leaders here at May Pen because they are doing a very good job,” he added.
Medical officer of health for Clarendon, Dr Kimberly Scarlett-Campbell, told The Gleaner that the process has been smooth.
“We really worked hard to ensure the facility was appealing, and we tried to ensure that the stages were clearly demarcated. We have customer service agents, who are our community health aides, to shepherd persons through the process,” she pointed out.
Some 185,000 residents across Clarendon are expected to be vaccinated.
Joseph Grant, parish manager of the Clarendon Health Services, believes that with adequate information, that target will be easily met. He lauded his team, asserting that they have been relentless in educating the public about the vaccine.
“As time goes on and the confidence level of people grows, the [vaccine] myths will move away, and that is what I’m expecting,” Grant said.
The vaccination process continues at the May Pen and Lionel Town health centres on Friday, and the Chapelton and Summerfield facilities in northern Clarendon over the weekend.