Select a region
The covid-19 vaccine will not be compulsory but it will be free, the Government has announced.
When a vaccine is ready, which could be before the end of the year, it will be given in parallel to the annual flu jab, which this year will be offered to everyone aged over 50 as opposed to the normal 65.
Speaking at the Government’s weekly press briefing on Friday, Deputy Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham said the covid-19 vaccination programme would cost around £5m and it would be given in a priority defined by international best practice.
Deputy Medical Officer of Health Dr Ivan Muscat, who is leading the island's virus response, added: “We will not be making it mandatory but recommending it to all appropriate groups, in accordance with priorities set by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation."
Pictured: Deputy Medical Officer of Health Dr Ivan Muscat.
He continued: “We anticipate the uptake will be very high indeed and once we reach 80%, there will be the necessary herd immunity in the community."
At the briefing, Senator Farnham also revealed more details of the £100 that each islander will receive next month to spend locally.
All adults will receive a MasterCard while those aged under 16 will receive a non-credit card equivalent. The card will be accepted across the island but not online. It cannot be transferred to another user, nor can be exchanged for a cash equivalent.
Pictured: The £100 card which all Islanders will receive will be linked to MasterCard for adults.
Islanders will be asked to keep their card when the £100 is spent, in case the Government repeats the exercise in future.
Finally, Senator Farnham gave a few more details of the testing laboratory that arrived in the island this week.
The lab, which has cost £3m to bring over, initially for three months, will be based near the Jersey Aero Club at the Airport.
Pictured: The lab will be based near the Jersey Aero Club.
Once fully operational, it will be able to process 2,000 tests a day and provide results within 12 hours.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.