By Chantalé Fletcher
IN less than a week, the Government has scrapped two systems to help distribute Covid-19 vaccines and implemented another one.
Minister of Health Terrance Deyalsingh made the new announcement on Saturday at a press conference held by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s.
In the new system, he said, the regional health authorities will contact people over 65 years.
On Wednesday, a walk-in system for people over 60 and those under 60 with pre-existing conditions had to be scrapped after it was overwhelmed as thousands showed up at sites across the country.
An alphabetic system instituted on Thursday and Friday was also cancelled when facilities only had 50 vaccines each to distribute.
On Saturday, Deyalsingh said a new system would be implemented from next Wednesday.
The minister stated that vaccination for the elderly 65 years and over will begin on June 16, at 36 health centres across the five regional health authorities. This includes thirty-three in Trinidad and three in Tobago.
Deyalsingh said, “So what was in place Thursday and Friday will no longer be applied as that was inconvenient.”
He said, “We are going to you in your communities, in your homes via our District Health Visitor programme.
Deyalsingh said, “In this adjusted process, we are coming to you.”
He said people will be contacted by the RHAs and appointments will be issued.
Deyalsingh said, “That by July 2021, the goal is to have a totally adult vaccinated population of 188,900 of a population of about 1.3 million, which is significantly above 10%.”
He said 150,692 people have received first doses while there 9,843 were fully vaccinated.
Deyalsingh said, “And that will start to move more and more each day as we vaccinate more and more persons.”
He said 200,000 doses of Sinopharn vaccines will arrive on Monday.
Deyalsingh added that 150,000 of these will be for second doses.
He said of the remaining 50,000 doses, 20,000 will be reserved to the elderly, 5,000 to the Supermarket Association of T&T, 5,000 for the T&T Manufacturers Association, 3,000 for Tobago, 5,000 for the construction sector, 2,000 for the banking sector, 2,500 for CEPEP, 5,000 for private security firms and 3,000 for the Diabetes Association of T&T.
Deyalsingh said, “That will leave us with a leeway of a couple a little to $4, 000 to 6,000, as contingency for whatever may arise.”
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