Diego health centre returns to 'normal' after vaccine hoax

THERE were no unmanageable crowds or queues for registration for covid19 vaccines at the Diego Martin Health Centre on Wendy Fitzwilliam Boulevard, Diamond Vale, on Tuesday.

Three health workers sat outside the building, registering people as they walked in slowly throughout the day.

A worker who spoke briefly with Newsday said that was in contrast to the previous evening, when dozens or more people, young and old, began arriving at the centre from the early afternoon.

That was apparently caused by a widely shared hoax message on WhatsApp which wrongly said vaccines were being administered to walk-in patients under 60 between 4pm and 9pm at the health centre.

The Health Ministry, in a media release on Monday, said neither it nor any other regional health authority had issued the notice.

"Members of the public are urged to refrain from sharing any false or misleading information about covid19 or covid19 vaccination," the ministry wrote.

Only three people were in line to register for the vaccines when Newsday visited at around midday on Tuesday. As they left, others trickled in.

There are no caps to the number of people who can be registered for the vaccine on any one day, although there is a cut-off time of 3 pm. Registration began at 8 am and took about two to three minutes for each person to complete.

The staff member said there were no issues similar to those experienced on Monday. Regular health workers, she said, cannot tell the registrants the exact date they will receive their first doses.

However, some have already got their first shot after early registration.

The initial phase of the government's vaccination programme prioritises people over 60 with non-communicable diseases, and front-line healthcare workers.