Liberia: 2,000 APM Terminals Workers, Partners Receive Covid-19 Vaccination
The Ministry of Health (MOH), through its Montserrado County office, recently provided COVID-19 vaccination to workers of APM Terminals, a corporate entity located in the Freeport of Monrovia.
According to health authorities, more than 2,000 employees of the entity and its partner workers, as well as some residents of the Port, received the Astrazeneca or Johnson & Johnson jabs of the COVID 19 vaccines.
The Ministry’s action came at a time when employees from both the public and private sectors have been threatened by the government to lose their jobs for failure to get vaccinated for COVID 19.
Meanwhile, following an official request by APM Terminals to protect its workers and all others working at various offices at the Freeport of Monrovia, as well as residents around the Port who have not yet taken any of the COVID-19 vaccines, the Health Ministry was invited to administer the vaccine.
Dr. Yatta Sackie Wapoe, who is a supervisor for the administration of the jabs, said that she is encouraged by the discipline and enthusiasm the staffers and partners of APMT have shown towards the vaccination campaign.
“For us to succeed in the fight against COVID-19, we will need strong support from the corporate sector, not only in terms of logistics and financial support, but compliance with all the initiatives we are rolling out. APMT-Liberia has been a worthy partner on this cause and this vaccination drive is further testimony to that.” Dr. Sackie Wapoe said.
Dr. Wapoe is the County Health Officer of Montserrado and a lead campaigner for COVID-19 vaccination.
She said that APMT has demonstrated remarkable corporate leadership in the fight against COVID-19 and the latest vaccination is a testament to the company’s strives for a healthy and peaceful working environment.
She admonished port workers and users to fully embrace the program and take the jabs for their own safety.
In a brief statement, the Managing Director of APMT Liberia, Mr. Jonathan Graham, said the company prioritizes the health and safety of its workers and stakeholders, hence the move to have them vaccinated against the deadly virus was not a matter of choice but urgency and significance.
Graham commended the Ministry of Health and National Port Authority (NPA) for their respective support to the port community which is thriving, despite the threats and disruptions of the pandemic.
“As a company at the heartbeat of the Liberian economy, our people are our biggest resources. We have always placed their health and safety above every other consideration and this is why we are on this campaign to get everyone vaccinated to protect them from the virus.
“Our goal is not only to protect our stakeholders so that together we are resilient to help grow the Liberian economy but also to encourage the wider community to heed to all of the measures being rolled out by the Ministry of Health. We thank the Ministry of Health, the National Port Authority, County Health directorate, Customs, Stevedore union, and our staff for their immense support and participation in this exercise,” Mr. Graham said.
He added: “Over the last year, the focus of APM Terminals Liberia's support in Liberia has primarily been in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic that has swept the world and severely impacted the community we live and work in.”
Graham noted that in addition to looking after the wellbeing of its staffers, the company has also extended its social services, including the distribution of handwashing buckets and sanitizers to nearby communities.
“This includes distribution of handwashing stations in district 13, Montserrado in March 2020, the donation of 1,000 25kg bags of rice to the National Youth Task Force against Covid-19 in May 2020, the donation of COVID PPE (10,000 disposable masks, 10,000 disposable examination gloves, and 300 Isolation gowns) to the COVID task force in July 2020 and the donation of 1,000 COVID-19 PCR test kits to the COVID task force in August 2020,” the APMT boss explained.