Many turned away from vaccination sites on Thursday

Scores of people braved the morning sun in the hopes of receiving the covid19 vaccine at the St Joseph Enhanced Health Centre , Champ Fluers on Thursday. Photo by Jeff K. Mayers
Scores of people braved the morning sun in the hopes of receiving the covid19 vaccine at the St Joseph Enhanced Health Centre , Champ Fluers on Thursday. Photo by Jeff K. Mayers

Dozens of people were turned away on Thursday at several vaccination sites across the country as only those with appointments were accommodated.

When Newsday visited sites at La Horquetta Health Centre, St Joseph Enhanced Health Centre, and the mass vaccination site at the National Racquet Centre in Tacarigua, both young and old people hoping either to make an appointment or get the vaccine on the same day were told there were no extra vaccines to spare.

The crowd was small and manageable at the La Horquetta centre. One person with an appointment, sitting outside under a tent, said he was impressed with the process thus far. After waiting 45 minutes, he was invited inside for the shot.

While Newsday was there, many people arrived hoping to get an appointment, but a nurse at the door told them the centre would not be taking any more walk-ins or making any appointments until further notice.

At the National Racquet Centre, one woman, who didn’t want to be named, complained at the main gate about a mix-up in her appointment. She said she received a confirmation of an appointment by WhatsApp on Tuesday night.

Pointing to messages and a call she had received to confirm her appointment at 9 am on Thursday, she said, “I’m not crazy and I’m not trying a smart thing.

"My sister and I made our appointments together. They called me and text me to confirm our appointments.

"When we got here, they told me my name wasn’t on the list.

"My sister’s name was. She got the vaccine and I’m leaving without mine. I’m 65. What to do?

"This system is flawed and I don’t know who should be responsible. It’s really who knows who.”

She was told to wait for health officials to contact her to confirm another date.

A "No Walk-ins" sign was posted on the gate outside the National Racquet Centre, Tacarigua where the Ministry of Health was doing a mass vaccination drive on Thursday. Photo by Jeff K. MayersThere was a long line of cars leading up to the main entrance, many of them occupied by people without an appointment hoping to get the vaccine.

This line included another senior from the area who said her daughter had been trying for weeks to get her an appointment and she had decided to visit the site to try on her own.

One official at the gate was heard briefing staff at the centre that there wassn’t “an extra dose to spare for anyone coming with their Nana, sick uncle or friend.”

When asked about the issues with the appointment system, the official told Newsday he was unable to comment on the situation.

He said there had been an overwhelming demand for the vaccine in the past three days and like La Horquetta, the centre was only dealing with people with confirmed appointments.

There were also long lines around a corner from the entrance of the St Joseph Enhanced Health Centre vaccination site. There was hardly any space for social distancing and half of those waiting in line were seniors. But by 11 am the crowd had thinned.

Unlike those centres which were not taking appointments or doing walk-ins, an official sitting on the pavement with a notepad, opposite the centre said the public could come to St Joseph to make an appointment, but it was not taking walk-ins. Only those with confirmed appointments were allowed inside.

The gates at the Paddock, Queen's Park Savannah remained locked and many people turned back after reading a sign with a picture of a covid19 vaccine dose that said: “NO MORE AVAILABLE.” Security guards there refused to talk to the media.

Newsday understands the last remaining batch allocated to that site was distributed on Tuesday afternoon .

The country started its vaccination programme on April 6.

Since then the Ministry of Health has administered over 50,000 doses.

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"Many turned away from vaccination sites on Thursday"

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