By Sue-Ann Wayow
HEALTH officials are begging the population to get vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus especially with the recently announced three cases of the more transmissible Delta variant of concern which includes an unvaccinated minor.
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh announced on Monday that 50,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will now be administered to another 25,000 adults given that that vaccine will expire at the end of November.
The minister said, “It is not too late today for persons to be vaccinated. Make that decision now to get vaccinated… It is not too late but time is running out.”
“We are not in a good position to combat the Delta variant.”
He was speaking at the Ministry of Health’s virtual media conference.
Trinidad and Tobago now has ten reported cases of the Delta variant including cases that have not left the country.
Deyalsingh said to date, some 23,000 adults took the Pfizer vaccine which became available due to the upcoming expiry date and assured that the doses for the 12 to18 age group were ready to be given into arms.
He said the rate of adults taking the Pfizer was more than children.
Trinidad and Tobago’s population was considered unvaccinated given the slow vaccination rates adding that in other countries, vaccinations were also slowing down.
He said given the various types of vaccines available and the many areas in which they were available including at malls and shopping areas and doctors going to homes to administer the vaccine, some 4,000 to 5,000 persons should be receiving a shot daily instead of an average of 2,000 to 3,000 currently being administered.
Even with the advocation from non-government organisations, civil groups and religious organisations, the population seemed to not be convinced enough that the Covid-19 vaccine was worth getting.
Out of a 1.1million eligible for the vaccine, Deyalsingh said some 600,000 persons should have been vaccinated by now instead of the 510,000 figure. From the 12 to 18 age group, he said approximately 40,000 were vaccinated out of 90,000 who are allowed to take the vaccine.
The minister stressed that the unvaccinated were the ones mostly in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), were the ones dying and severely ill.
He advised the public not to become numb to the daily death figures and the rolling daily average number of cases of 199 which skyrocketed from three in March to 400 in May and was now back down to 199.
And the minister again pleaded with parents to have their children within the eligible age group to be vaccinated as parental consent is required.
Drop in AZ interest
The minister also said, “The demand for AstraZeneca has plummeted to almost zero.”
He said on Sunday no one person received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Deyalsingh gave a breakdown of the administering of the other vaccines.
He said last week Thursday, ten persons received the AstraZeneca. On average 800 to 1,000 persons were accessing the Sinopharm which was available at the various health centres, 2000 to 2500 persons are receiving the Pfizer daily given at various mass vaccination sites and 11,858 individuals have received the one shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine being administered in main commercial areas and through mobile sites.
Deyalsingh said the issue with the AstraZeneca vaccine and why arrangements are being made with the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs was because that vaccine has a short expiry date and the vaccines should not be wasted.
Positive cases increasing but not hospitalisation rate
And Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram noted that the number of active positive cases has been increasing over the past week but it was still too early to state if it was a result of the detected Delta variant cases.
Dr Parasram said it was also important to note that while there was an increase in the number of cases, it was not being reflected in an increase in the number of hospitalised cases.
