Hundreds vaxxed at FLOW’s essential services Vax Day
COMMUNICATIONS AND entertainment provider FLOW recently hosted a second successful FLOW Vax Day together with other essential services providers, JPS and Digicel ,as well as second-time partner, the Courtleigh Hospitality Group.
Recognising the i mportant role that essential service providers play in the country’s recovery efforts, the telecoms giant once again hosted its Vax Day at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, where more than 520 employees of the participating companies were vaccinated, taking the total number of vaccines administered under their initiative to more than 1,700. The vaccination drive, which forms part of the Private Sector Vaccination Initiative, was applauded by State Minister in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, who attended the event.
“I want to congratulate the private sector. It is a wonderful initiative, and it is supporting the goal of increasing vaccine uptake,” said Cuthbert-Flynn. “This is another way of getting more people in that pool so we can get back to our normal lives. I really want to applaud the efforts of FLOW, Digicel, JPS and the Courtleigh Hotel Group.”
COLLABORATION
FLOW’s Vice-President and General Manager, Stephen Price, said working with the Government to increase vaccinations and facilitating the process is a priority.
“After our first staging of the FLOW Vax Day, we saw an increase in demand from persons who were ready to be vaccinated and wanted to protect themselves and their families, so we had to respond to the call as we are strong advocates for vaccination,” said Price. “We are a responsible company, and we have to be responsible citizens. We need the country to reopen. We need our economy to flourish, and the only way we will achieve that, while still dealing with the realities of COVID, is if we get every eligible person vaccinated.”
Michel Gantois, chief executive officer of JPS, noted that vaccination is the key to Jamaicans returning to the lifestyle they once enjoyed.
“In Europe, where I’m from, we have 70 to 75 per vent of people fully vaccinated, which means there are no restrictions on movement, there are no curfews. Restaurants and bars are open, you can go party, you can hug and kiss your family and friends – it is nearly life as normal,” said Gantois. “When you look at Jamaica, there is a low vaccination rate, there are curfews and people are getting tired of it, but you have to choose. We cannot open this country without a much higher rate of vaccination. So, what we are doing here is helping people get back to their normal lives and saving lives.”
Public Relations and Communications Manager at Digicel, Elon Parkinson, highlighted the intrinsic role of utility companies to everyday life and why it was important for Digicel to partner on this initiative.
“When it comes to interaction with the public, outside of Government, utilities is the next sector that has that close intrinsic relationship with the public – your telecommunications, your power, your water that everyone depends on – so what better way to show support for the Government than coming together to ensure we get as many persons as possible vaccinated, as we move towards getting back to normal,” said Parkinson.