[UPDATED] Pregnant women, obese urged to get H1N1 vaccine

WITH the arrival of 100,000 H1N1 vaccines in TT, pregnant women, obese people, and people who also suffer from diabetes, asthma, and hypertension are at the risk groups advised to immediately go and get vaccinated.

The call was made by Health Minister Terrance Deyalsingh during a virtual media conference on Saturday.

The minister said that while no one will be turned away, these groups should make every effort to utilise the free vaccine.

The distribution of the vaccines will begin on Tuesday.

Deyalsingh said TT is now at the start of the flu season and citizens, while they continue to protect themselves from covid19, also had to protect themselves against the H1N1 flu.

He said out of the 200,000 vaccines that was ordered, 100,000 arrived in the country on Wednesday. The second batch will arrive in early 2021.

The following clinics, he said, will be set up for citizens to be vaccinated. They include antenatal clinics, chronic care clinics, and two designated health centres in each county.

He also assured pregnant women that the vaccine is safe and would not harm them and their unborn child.

Chief Medical Officer Roshan Parasram said also advised the public to save themselves against both viruses.

“The influenza virus and covid19 have very similar symptoms. They have similar modes of transmission, both of them being transmitted through respiratory droplet infection. The signs and symptoms are almost identical, especially in the first few days of infection. It’s very difficult for the population on the whole to determine, even when you go to a clinician, to determine at the outset whether you’re dealing with the influenza or you’re dealing with covid19 without having a test performed.”

He said if people were vaccinated if they got symptoms, the flu could be eliminated from the list of possibilities. He added that TT tests for the flu through the Caribbean Public Health Agency (Carpha) so once covid19 is ruled out, Carpha would run a full respiratory panel of tests, including H1N1.

He urged people to self-quarantine immediately if they signs and symptoms of the flu and call the covid19 hotline as it could be used for any viral or respiratory illness. If symptoms deteriorate, he encouraged people to visit or contact a health care facility or call 811 if the situation was an emergency.

This story has been updated with additional details. Below is the original story.

WITH the arrival of 100,000 H1N1 vaccines in TT, pregnant women, obese people, and people who also suffer from diabetes, asthma, and hypertension are at the risk groups advised to immediately go and get vaccinated.

The call was made by Health Minister Terrance Deyalsingh during a virtual media conference on Saturday.

The minister said that while no one will be turned away, these groups should make every effort to utilise the free vaccine.

The distribution of the vaccines will begin on Tuesday.

Deyalsingh said TT is now at the start of the flu season and citizens, while they continue to protect themselves from covid19, also had to protect themselves against the H1N1 flu.

He said out of the 200,000 vaccines that was ordered, 100,000 arrived in the country on Wednesday. The second batch will arrive in early 2021.

The following clinics, he said, will be set up for citizens to be vaccinated. They include antenatal clinics, chronic care clinics, and two designated health centres in each county.

He also assured pregnant women that the vaccine is safe and would not harm them and their unborn child.