By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE racetrack in Wallerfield will house a drive-thru Covid-19 vaccination site from Wednesday.
This was announced by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh on Monday during the Ministry of Health’s virtual press conference.
“It is prepped, it is ready,” Deyalsingh said.
He said the ministry’s testing will take place on Monday and Tuesday along with another vaccination drive-thru site at Ato Boldon stadium in Couva which is being run and managed by Proman, an energy company in Pt Lisas.
Each site is being set up to vaccinate at least 1,500 persons a day, Deyalsingh said.
The Wallerfield vaccination site is being arranged by the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA). The NCRHA will communicate to the Ministry of Health as to which persons will be able to get their vaccines at that site.
He said because of the acreage, if there was a traffic backup, it would not affect the main road or highway as it would proceed unto a secondary road.
Deyalsingh added, “We are asking the public to help us make the drive through experience easy because you don’t want traffic, you don’t want a lot of waiting.”
He also said that a drive-thru site was tested a few weeks ago at the heliport under the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) where about 350 persons were vaccinated that day.
The minister explained the process for the vaccination site at Wallerfield.
He said the forms that the population was familiar with must be filled out from the ministry’s website.
“Download the forms, fill it out accurately, so when you come to this site you don’t have to wait in a car and cause traffic. We are asking persons who come in, come with four persons. That way if you have ten cars then that’s 40 people. The jabbing will be done at all four windows, so maximum throughput with minimum traffic,” Deyalsingh said.
For the vaccination site in Couva, in the first instance, persons who work at the Pt Lisas Industrial Estate and their families will be vaccinated and then residents in the surrounding communities will be allowed to get their shots.
There are three tents set up at these centres. At the first tent, the registration form and temperatures are checked, at the second tent, registration is double-checked and at the third tent, the shot is administered and then the immunization card is given.
Deyalsingh said, “After you are jabbed you are allowed to park because we need acreage. We are looking for parking for about 100 cars. You stay there for observation for 15 to 20 minutes, the same way you are monitored at mass vax site. If you have any kind of side effect or reaction, you honk your horn, or whatever and will be attended to by the people who will be up and down the lanes of parked cars.”
Ambulances with defibrillators and medication on spot will be there to support persons in case of adverse reaction.
And the minister said, “I eagerly await the data and response to see the acceptance, to see if we can do it in more areas once we find suitable location for it.”
