(CMR) It is to cost the Government of Jamaica approximately 8.2 million USD to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine, once it becomes available.
The revelation was made on Thursday (December 3) at a sitting of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC).
According to Permanent Secretary, Dunstan Bryan, in the Ministry of Health, a down payment for the vaccine of $1.1 million has already been secured through the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
Bryan further said that the balance to secure the vaccine would be paid from the country's next budget.
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Jacqueline Bisasor-McKenzie explained that Jamaica is part of a COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) facility and, that the vaccine would be rolled out to health care workers and vulnerable populations first.
According to Bisasor-McKenzie, the country is to receive the first batch of vaccines between April and June 2021.
The aim of the COVAX Facility is to obtain and fairly distribute 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid