Port Royal vaccination drive picks up steam

After experiencing some level of hesitancy, the vaccination drive in Port Royal has picked up steam, with some 115 persons turning up at the vaccination site on Saturday to receive first and second doses. Community leaders said they were pleased with the response of the residents.

Ministry of Health Public Relations Manager Stephen Davidson released figures showing that 62 persons reported for their second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and seven for their first dose. Thirty-two requested Johnson & Johnson, while 13 persons that fall within the 12-17 age group asked for the Pfizer vaccine for their first dose, one received a second dose of that vaccine.

In the first vaccination blitz in the area two months ago, less than 100 persons received their first dose, a number that included AstraZeneca and Pfizer, both double-dose vaccines, as well as the single-dose Johnson & Johnson.

The Port Royal Benevolent Society, which assisted the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) in the public relations campaign in the community to elevate the interest of the residents, said residents are now coming forward to get vaccinated.

“The response has been good so far. More people have been showing interest in taking the vaccine. We assured them that the benefits of the vaccine far supersedes any side effects, if any, that they might experience, when we sent out notices to the residents to take the vaccine,” said Camille Sinclair, president of the Port Royal Benevolent Society.

Sinclair said many residents have come to the conclusion that if they are going to earn a living from the cruise ship business when cruise passengers start to be bussed into Port Royal, they will have to be vaccinated.

Former Jamaica Defence Force Captain Peter Gordon, a Port Royal native who has been working alongside the PAJ to encourage residents to get vaccinated, said it was fascinating to see the residents turning out after an initial phase of noticeable hesitancy.

“It is going great. There are no itches ... no glitches. It is going well as even members of the Rastafarian community are responding. Things have changed for the better,” Gordon told The Gleaner.