The country has over 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in stock.

Director of Family Health Services in the Health and Wellness Ministry, Dr. Melody Ennis says there is adequate supply and persons are encouraged to get vaccinated.

She says the country has supplies of Pfizer, Sinopharm and Johnson and Johnson vaccines.

Dr. Ennis says Jamaica last received vaccines from Covax in February and from bilateral partners in April.

The Johnson and Johnson and Sinopharm vaccines will expire next year September, while the Pfizer doses will expire at the end of January and end of February.

As there are vaccines in stock, Dr. Ennis states that the Health Ministry has not been actively seeking additional supplies in order to limit wastage.

Since March last year, some 500,000 doses of vaccines have been discarded.

Commenting on the wastage of vaccines, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie explains that the Ministry’s focus during the pandemic was to ensure the country had vaccines.

She further explains that the international standards apply to routine vaccination and there is the expectation that there could be wastage for several reasons.