Steve Distant, chief of the non-branch division at JN Bank
JN Bank Executive, Steve Distant, is encouraging more teachers to take the COVID-19 vaccine, so that they will stand a much greater chance of fighting the deadly disease successfully and be able to return to the classroom prepare students for the world.
The chief of the non-branch division at JN Bank, was speaking at the recently concluded 57th Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Annual Conference, which was held at Ocean Coral Springs Hotel in [name of hotel].
He commended the approximately 70 per cent of teachers who have so far been vaccinated, but urged the remaining third to get immunised urgently.
“For those of you who have not yet taken your shots, I encourage each of you to get immunised against COVID-19, for your own personal safety,” he urged. “With the almost weekly and monthly variants emerging, we cannot take any chances with our health. The best vaccine available to you is any vaccine that the government has made available.”
Mr Distant, who contracted COVID-19 last year, described his battle with disease as the most difficult and scariest two weeks of his life.
“I had every single symptom you could think about, such as: headaches, loss of taste and smell; as well as, breathing challenges,” he explained.
He added that, now that he has been vaccinated, he feels more confident about going into public spaces, knowing that if he should contract COVID-19 again, he will have a much better chance of not being severely ill and surviving it.
“With about 17,000 or more of our 24,000 teachers in our public institutions already vaccinated, I applaud the seriousness with which you have taken this disease; and more importantly, the need to get back into our classrooms, to maintain the teaching and learning process,” Distant affirmed.
The National Health Fund has been reported as saying the country now has enough vaccines to inoculate a million Jamaicans. Persons now have the option of receiving the Pfizer vaccine, following a shipment of 200,000 on August 19 and more than 115,200 Johnson & Johnson on August 23. Doses of the Oxford University’s AstraZeneca vaccine are also available.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness has been hosting several vaccination blitz to get Jamaicans immunised, which will continue. So far about 4.9 per cent of the population has been vaccinated according to the not-for-profit group Our World in Data.
In his address, Mr Distant also called for telecommunications companies to go into communities without internet, to establish connectivity at affordable costs so that an increased number of students can have access to online school instructions.
“Several students are being left behind academically, because they do not have access to information; and communications technology equipment, such as laptops and tablets, internet connection, or mobile data, are needed to attend classes,” he outlined.
“We need to bridge this gap, and we have to do it soon, because this can affect our ability to transform our education, for economic growth and development. Every student in Jamaica should have access to the tools needed to facilitate effective virtual learning, because this is the future. As the adage goes: ‘Every child can learn, every child must learn,’” he emphasised.
Mr Distant said that under this new mode of operation, the country cannot afford to continue having its students being left behind.
