Jamaicans have bee so slow in getting vaccinated the country confirmed that it has had to discard 185,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine after they had expired over the last weekend.

But more is on the way. A government statement said that more than half a million doses of vaccines will be received “over the next few days,” even as the island received 369,000 doses of AstraZeneca on Monday.

It said that these vaccines are a gift from the Canadian government.

“Another 204,000 doses of Pfizer is also expected to arrive in the country on Wednesday. These vaccines, as previously announced, will be used to inoculate members of the population, who are awaiting their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The balance will be prioritized for children 12-17 years old,” the statement said.

It said people awaiting their second dose must schedule an appointment and that they will be able to choose their preferred date, time and vaccination centre.

“Members of the public should take a government-issued identification (school ID for students) or letter from a Justice of the Peace and their vaccination card to their appointments.”

Meanwhile, the country reported 47 new cases of COVID-19 and three virus-related deaths on Tuesday, pushing the total number of confirmed cases on the island since the outbreak to 89,170 and the confirmed deaths to 2,246.

The authorities said the new cases comprise 21 females and 26 males with ages ranging from 42 days to 96 years.

They said the latest victims are three males ranging in ages from 67 to 86-years-old and that another death was reported as under investigation.

The ministry further reported 176 new recoveries, which pushed the total recoveries to 58,267. There are 28,036 confirmed active cases on the island.