Alfred Dawes denounces anti-vax voicenote | News – Jamaica Gleaner
Romario Scott, Gleaner Writer
Well-known medical doctor Alfred Dawes is strongly condemning claims that he is against COVID-19 vaccination.
Dawes says he has no connection to a voicenote attributing such assertions to him.
The audio recording is being widely circulated on social media platforms and Dawes says he has been bombarded by concerned persons.
“I received my first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 19 and will take the second dose at the end of May. The voice in the audio recording is not me and does not reflect my personal or medical opinion on any approved COVID-19 vaccines. I unequivocally support the inoculation of all eligible individuals,” Dawes told The Gleaner.
The voicenote comes at the height of a drive by the Government to get over 50,000 people vaccinated within four days.
Health officials have indicated that the target has been exceeded and that they are pushing to vaccinate at least 15,000 more persons by today, the final day of the mass vaccination drive.
In February, Dawes, while participating at a forum at the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College on COVID-19, dismissed conspiracies surrounding the virus and the vaccine.
Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has stated that the campaign being driven by anti-vaxxers is worrying.
“There are people who discourage other people from taking the vaccine, whether in the health centre context, at home, or in the community, and some of those persons are family members. We will continue to push back against this, and we have to do a lot more to push back,” Tufton said.
“Those who advocate that kind of nonsense should be soundly rejected, and I am prepared to reject them in the morning, at noon, in the evening, and at night,” the health minister stated.
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