By Sue-Ann Wayow
WITH the re-opening of physical school that began on Monday for Forms One to Three secondary school pupils and Standard Five primary school pupils, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh is once again urging parents to allow their children to become vaccinated against Covid-19.
Speaking at the Ministry of Health’s virtual Covid-19 update, Deyalsingh said a new batch of Pfizer vaccines was expected to arrive soon and he lamented that not enough persons in the 12 to 18 age group, many of whom were attending school, were vaccinated.
He added that the authorities were monitoring the government’s distribution of the vaccines received.
The Pfizer vaccine which is the only one approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the 12 to 18 age group was donated to Trinidad and Tobago by the US government.
Deyalsingh said, “The 12 to 18 group which is that secondary school-age population, that can only use Pfizer at this point in time, 53,423 of those have been fully vaccinated which is about 59% of that 90,000 estimate for the school population.
“Now that schools are opened, we want to urge parents, to bring our your 12 to 18 for another thrust to be vaccinated especially now that they are out to physical school which is something that we support for all the reasons given previously.”
He said adults still desiring of obtaining a Pfizer vaccine will get a second dose with the new batch coming in and he urged them to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
For those who want to participate in Carnival activities and not yet vaccinated, the minister recommends the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine so that in two weeks they will be considered fully vaccinated.
With an increase in vaccination, hopefully, the hospital Covid-19 cases will continue to decrease, he added.
Deyalsingh, during the update also announced that the Point Fortin Hospital will be de-commissioned as a Covid facility and the ministry was looking to have the Arima Hospital off the grid soon.
The next hospital off the grid would be the Arima Hospital.
