By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE majority of people in Trinidad and Tobago who are hesitant to accept a Covid-19 vaccine belong to the Christian faith, according to surveys conducted by the Ministry of Health.
This is according to Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh who said he was taken aback by hearing a pastor on a local radio station who “had the guts to come out and openly discourage people from being vaccinated.”
Deyalsingh, speaking at the ministry’s virtual press conference on Wednesday said the Government will continue to communicate facts to the population and again asked that people rely only on sources that have been verified and authenticated.
The minister said, “When we talk to people and do our surveys, the bulk of people who seem to be vaccine hesitant are of the Christian faith.
“Maybe the Bible or the teachings of the Bible have been interpreted or misinterpreted and there are many such pastors doing that both in Trinidad and in Tobago.”
He said the government has been improving its communication strategies which including going out more into communities with information about vaccination. He added that on Tuesday, there was an outreach at a mosque in his constituency of St Joseph where approximately 170 persons were vaccinated which he said was a good turnout.
For this week, Deyalsingh said between first doses and the one shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine, there was an average of 2,500 shots per day.
“The glass half-empty side is that, that is simply not good enough… We need to get back up to about 5,000 shots per day,” he said.
