Health Minister Tufton Leaves Spice Blushing

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton, had Dancehall diva Spice blushing after he bragged to her that being fully vaccinated has not affected his libido, and that his tumescence was in perfect order.

The Minister was one of two special guests on a recent episode of the Cool It artist’s Magnum Spice It Up show, during which he responded to a pre-recorded question that was posed by a member of the public, as to whether vaccinations could result in her partner’s penis disintegrating if he took the vaccine.

Spice erupted in laughter after the clip of the woman’s question was posed, and then even more so when Tufton responded.

“I was talking about the spirit and I almost draw fi a likkle drink a while ago for that.  A lot of men have said it, but I can tell you something – story that will address the question,” Tufton began.

“But first of all, I took the vaccine and I am quite in order, just to respond to the lady and the direct question,” Tufton boasted, evoking another peal of laughter from a highly-amused Spice who stood up and playfully brushed off her hands while laughing.

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A few minutes earlier, Spice had suggested that the Ministry of Health rely more on medical doctors to urge people to get vaccinated as people were less trustworthy of politicians who appeared to be at the forefront of the inoculation campaign.

“I know why they are suspicious… caw remember me inna di street now enuh suh mi like weh wi a get inna.  I know why they are suspicious because there is a trust issue with politicians against the people of Jamaica.  So, is it that we need to find maybe doctors to come to the forefront to start explaining this to people?  So that they will be more comfortable?” Spice asked.

“As a politician, sad to say we have a trust issue, with the public – a credibility issue, which is why we try to use influencers.  We try to use the church… we use doctors in fact my recommendation to persons who are unsure, I would say to dem guh visit yuh doctor, whether in the public health system or privately,” the Minister responded.

Spice also pointed out that aside from politicians, the influencers which the Ministry was using on the campaign were also not being seen as credible by members of the general population.

“I feel like we should do more of that so that the community people who trust dem doctors will take it from them.  You know why?   Influencers, I remember I post something and they (fans) were like: ‘Spice a weh yah a do? A sell yuh a sell wi out?  A pay dem pay yuh fi seh wi fi teck it?’  But they will more trust their doctors,” she explained.

Former Miss World and Member of Parliament for South East St. Ann, Lisa Hanna, who was the second guest on the show, said she was taken aback at the resistance most Jamaicans had towards the COVID vaccine, as inoculations were not new, Jamaica having a mandatory vaccination policy for years which saw childhood diseases like measles, polio and rubella being eradicated.

“The COVID one is a bit of a conundrum for me because I think maybe because of how shocking and bizarre this thing was, that it frightens people,” she said.

When asked by Spice for her opinion on why people “are so fearful of this vaccine in particular” Hanna  concurred with Spice’s earlier point regarding who should be at the campaign’s forefront.

“I am gonna say two things that might shock you.  I think one, because everytime you looked at a platform globally and locally, it was the politicians talking about COVID.  And in Jamaica 70 percent a di people nuh trust politician.  Politician and police: they don’t trust them.  And that’s data driven that’s not me coming up with some statistic,” Hanna stated.

When asked what she would do differently from what the Andrew Holness administration has been doing, Hanna, who declared herself a “vaccine advocate”, told Spice that she would reopen the country, as among other things, she was “not entirely with the curfew”.

“I would open back the country… because we have to learn to live with COVIOD.  Let me qualify; you can’t have it on one hand, a whole section of your population taking public transportation and bungling up in different spaces, but then say at a certain time they are to lock down.  It’s better that you teach them how to live safely with COVID…, she explained.

Hanna said that along with a granular public education campaign, she would establish COIVID testing centres and subsidize testing “so people can know what their COVOD status is” as well as have the  vaccines administered by private clinicians and dispensed by clinics across the island.

“So if you are able to put those things in place, then you can open back and say look, if we do this correctly, yes we will have cases of COVID, but you need to be vaccinated, wear your mask, wash your han… those different things and you can go forward with it,” she said.