Tag: World Health Organization

A Caribbean woman causes a stir at the United Nations

September 26, 2021

Caribbean people love speeches. I have sat through so many speeches in Jamaica; most have been at least ten minutes too long. I have even written quite a few myself. Yes, Caribbean people know how to “talk the hind leg off a donkey,” as the saying goes. Some political leaders have been famous for it. … More A Caribbean woman causes a stir at the United Nations

September 21, 2021 in Jamaica: The car that broke down, the toast that burnt, and the polls that flopped

September 22, 2021

With tropical storms pottering around in the Atlantic (two are called Peter and Rose, the names of our nephew and niece, respectively), it has been warm and muggy in Kingston. Clouds appear and do not bring rain. It has been a week of surprising developments – not least that of the toast to “No Movement … More September 21, 2021 in Jamaica: The car that broke down, the toast that burnt, and the polls that flopped

Jamaica to lead PAHO Directing Council meeting

September 19, 2021

Our Ministry of Health and Wellness team, headed by Minister Christopher Tufton, has been selected to head an important meeting of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a branch of the World Health Organization. This is impressive (but, I suspect, a lot more work for Minister Tufton & Co., as if they didn’t have enough … More Jamaica to lead PAHO Directing Council meeting

Jamaica Economy Panel discusses vaccine hesitancy and the need for strong information campaigns

August 8, 2021

It has been disconcerting, frustrating and at times quite depressing to discuss vaccine hesitancy in Jamaica and elsewhere on social media. My heart sinks further when I read reports today about protests in St. Vincent (where the 75-year-old Prime Minister was injured during a demonstration, and is apparently not quite recovered) and in Barbados and … More Jamaica Economy Panel discusses vaccine hesitancy and the need for strong information campaigns

A clarification/correction on Jamaica’s vaccination numbers; and new COVID restrictions start tomorrow

July 27, 2021

I have to confess I am not good at numbers. So I made an error in yesterday’s account of the Ministry of Health and Wellness briefing on COVID-19. Let me set it straight. I noted yesterday: “Over 300,000 have received their first dose. This includes 122,000 who have received their second.” Incorrect! (I have removed … More A clarification/correction on Jamaica’s vaccination numbers; and new COVID restrictions start tomorrow

Jamaica needs vaccines!

July 26, 2021

I feel our little island of Jamaica is in an extremely vulnerable place at the moment. We need more vaccines. Vaccine inequity, which he of the furrowed brow – Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) – has spoken about so many times, is real. For many developing countries, including … More Jamaica needs vaccines!

Jamaica receives 55,200 more AstraZeneca vaccines

May 31, 2021

It is with a personal sense of encouragement and relief that I spotted a tweet from our Minister of Health and Wellness Christopher Tufton this quiet, curfewed Sunday afternoon. Another shipment of vaccines has arrived… My husband is due for his second dose this week, and hopefully myself soon after. Now “vaccine equity” is becoming … More Jamaica receives 55,200 more AstraZeneca vaccines

Vaccination Time for Jamaican Seniors

March 23, 2021

This morning was an interesting experience. My dear husband, who falls in the over-75 bracket, received an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine. This is the much-discussed AstraZeneca, which is the first vaccine that Jamaica has received, to date. By the way, Jamaica was the first Caribbean country to receive vaccines through the World Health Organization’s … More Vaccination Time for Jamaican Seniors