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IN just over a week, children 12 and older will be prioritised when health authorities start administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines across the island.The Government has been working to bolster the local vaccination programme, and with the first tranche of approximately 600,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which will be 200,000 doses, expected to arrive in the island on August 17, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton announced on Thursday evening, he said children 15 years and older and children 12 years and older with comorbid conditions will be targeted for inoculation.With the country recording 544 new COVID-19 cases and eight more deaths on Thursday, the total number of COVID-19 infections recorded in Jamaica moved to 56,709 since the first case was recorded last year. The overall COVID-19 death toll stood at 1,276 as of yesterday morning.In highlighting that hospitals are almost at capacity in their COVID-19 facilities, the Ministry of Health and Wellness yesterday urged Jamaicans to remain vigilant, wear their masks, maintain physical distance, and frequently wash and sanitise hands.The ministry also encouraged individuals to get vaccinated during the islandwide vaccination blitzes at 23 sites across 11 parishes this weekend. Based on Ministry of Health figures, as at 9:00 am yesterday, the number of people vaccinated stood at 393,863. Of that number, 258,466 have received first doses, 134,462 have received second doses, and 935 have received single doses.Following the announcement on Thursday evening by Dr Tufton that children will be prioritised for the Pfizer-BioNTech, Jamaica Observer Staff Reporter Jason Cross took to the streets of the Corporate Area yesterday to get reactions. He asked parents whether they would allow their children to take the vaccine once it becomes available. Check out their responses below:Jason Foster, security consultant"I have two kids, and they are not of the age, but if they were, I would strongly have them take the vaccine. Back in the days, they would have to take vaccination. You need to protect your children. When we, [as adults], can take the pressure and all of that from the virus, you want your kids to be comfortable. I don't have a problem to have them take the Pfizer, because the Pfizer is one of the better ones, so it is much better.You are definitely going to have side effects like any other vaccine. The only problem I have is how they distribute them. I was watching the news and it said they have vaccines they are going to throw away and then you have people going to the vaccine sites and not getting vaccine. What that is telling me is that they need to manage the whole process of the distribution properly, so we get the vaccines out there."Bobby, lead barber, Sharp Cut Barbershop The research has been done, so we have to try keep them safe and protect them. If it is approved, verified and certified, I don't see a problem with it. Vaccines have been around forever. Once the proper research is done, no problem.Steven Gerrard, barber No! That is my forever opinion, because these vaccines they are designing, I don't really trust it like how a lot of people put their trust in it. At the moment, I am an anti-vaxxer.Omar White, parent of Wolmer's High School for Boys studentI haven't given much thought to immunising my children, particularly my son who is just 11 years old right now. However, there may come a time, based on the number of cases going up, it may become mandatory for children to take the vaccine. Where the children are concerned, I am hoping it won't be mandatory.Louis Hunter, bar operator and owner, Hunter Gaming Technology I have absolutely no objections to my child taking the Pfizer vaccine if that is an option, because I believe it is the best way forward in getting a chance to get a handle on the pandemic we are facing. So many lives have been lost - hundreds of thousands - just in the Caribbean, so we definitely need to do all we can to stem what is happening.There are concerns, but a lot of the concerns are unjustified, non-factual concerns. The vaccine does have side effects, which are mild, as do all vaccines from as long as I can remember. When we were little kids taking polio, measles and rubella [vaccines], there has always been an associated risk, but very mild. In this case, it has been tested and tried and I see where the vaccine is pretty, pretty safe.Trudy Campbell FraserI would allow my older children, like age 15, 16 and 18. My smaller one, I would not, because I am not sure of how the body would respond to it. I am happy that they found something for them, because at the end of the day we want them to go back to school, and when they go back to school they are going to be hugging, kissing and jumping on each other, and the teachers alone cannot protect them, and they have to protect themselves. It has been actually two years since they are out of school, and so I am happy.I feel it so badly for them, because some are learning and some are not going anywhere. I pray and hope that parents will come around and be wise and ask the children kindly to take it, and when they take it don't scare them and tell them that it is going to do this or that to them, other than protect them from being harmed. These diseases coming in now, I don't understand where it is coming from, but I am happy they have found something for them and they will be back to school by September, hopefully.Ann Malcolm, supermarket shopperI took the COVID vaccine. I have a 16-year-old who says if they are giving it, she would go and take it. My other children are big people. I have a big daughter who took it like me and we are still here.Derrick Garrick, soup vendorI wouldn't allow them to take it because there is not enough information coming my way. In America, I see where in the US they set a law that if I am affected by taking the vaccine I cannot seek compensation from the vaccine company nor from the Government or the doctor who administered it to me. If you are administering something good for me, if it goes against me, I am supposed to be able to contact you about it and we deal with it. They say I would be taking it voluntarily. If I get crippled, if I die or get a stroke, it is not your responsibility and that is not right. Our immune system was created by God. That is my defence, so why would a man want to alter my immune system to work with his plan?