By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE Ministry of Health has reviewed its Covid-19 vaccine interview process after a 34-year-old woman stated she was administered the wrong second dose of the vaccine.
On Friday, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said he personally contacted the individual on Thursday.
Deyalsingh was speaking to the media during a visit to SuperPharm in Marabella where the one shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine was being administered.
He said after assessing the facts, he contacted North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) acting Director of Health Dr Anthony Parkinson to treat with the situation medically and psychologically.
The woman is scheduled to receive the correct second dose next week and is well and suffers from no adverse reaction, the minister said.
“She is well although psychologically she was concerned and anybody would be,” he said.
Deyalsingh said, “Although, this is an isolated case, we have to make sure it does not happen again. We have ordered a total revamp of how we question people.
“There have been a post-mortem of that issue and the staff administering vaccines had been readvised to make sure this does not happen again. Our policies and procedures have been looked at again. ”
The woman said her first dose vaccine was AstraZeneca, but was mistakenly given the Sinopharm at the Chaguaramas Heliport vaccination site.
There are only two vaccine mixes which have been approved by the World Health Organization at this time. They are AstraZeneca as a first dose and either Pfizer or Moderna as a second dose.
Also visiting the site on Friday was Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Kazim Hosein and Member of Parliament for San Fernando East, Brian Manning.
Hosein said he has been visiting rural areas with most recent being Grande Riviere and was pleased to see the level of interest in those districts especially with parents bringing their children to get the Pfizer vaccine.
“I was really impressed to see them coming in by the numbers,” Hosein said.
Manning said he was not sure why there was still vaccine hesitancy when health officials have “done so much to spread the actual truth about vaccinations.”
Speaking about his constituency, he said, “I think some people have become complacent in that, they figure they can get vaccines at any time now and unfortunately, you are putting your life at risk, you are playing Russian Roulette with your life and I don’t know why you would do that.”
He urged not just his constituents but everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
