By Sue-Ann Wayow
AS at Tuesday night, 620, 231 persons received a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine representing 44.3% of the population.
This information was revealed by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh who said the vaccination rate followed last week’s pattern of a 50% daily decrease.
Speaking at the ministry’s virtual media conference on Wednesday, Deyalsingh said 592, 384 persons have gotten their second shot representing 42.3% of the population.
The vaccinable population increased to approximately 1.1 million with the availability of the Pfizer vaccine for persons over 12 years out of a population of 1.4 million he said and if the entire eligible population was to be vaccinated, the ministry will have to double its current figures.
He admitted though that not everyone will be vaccinated.
The minister also thanked everyone who chose to take the shot and said it was not too late for children over the age of 12 to be vaccinated.
Deyalsingh said by now, given that mass vaccination drives began in July, there should be little or no Covid-19 related deaths.
“In two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, five weeks, we can come back here and say the ICUs are not filled, the A&Es are not filled. We can do that if we make that commitment today (to be vaccinated),” he said.
Principal Medical Officer Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards also stated at the conference that the ICU capacity for Covid-19 patients was filled to the max and the majority of patients were not fully vaccinated.
Deyalsingh said if the commitment was made to become vaccinated the mortality rate, ICU and High Dependency Unit (HDU) levels would be decreased greatly.
The Covid-19 death figure was 1,655 as at Tuesday.
