Seniors breaking curfew for vaccines

In a daring, desperate attempt to beat the crowd to be first in line for the Sinopharm vaccine, some people risked possible imprisonment, leaving home to head to vaccination sites during curfew hours on Friday morning.

When Newsday visited sites in north Trinidad, several seniors, who preferred not to be named, admitted to leaving home before 5 am to get to the centres early.

Curfew hours are 9 pm-5 am from Monday-Thursday and 7 pm-5 am on weekends.

Though operations were smoother, after chaotic scenes over the previous two days, and there was a significant reduction in the crowds, many still wanted to secure an early spot, even if it meant running into police patrols. For them, the risk of a fine of up to $250,000 and imprisonment for six months for breaching the curfew was worth getting a vaccine to have a fighting chance against covid19.

Friday was the second day of the vaccination system by alphabetical order of surname for people over 60 and those under 60 with non-communicable diseases.

One off-duty police officer at Barataria, who escorted his parents to get their shot, said this was his third attempt to get them vaccinated. Asked what time they left home, he hesitantly admitted to breaking the curfew.

He told Newsday, "We had to be wary about the fact police will ask why we breaking the curfew. But either way, it was a risk…At the first attempt, I got vaccinated because I’m frontline, the second time my brothers got through – and on both occasions, my parents were turned away.

“They’re becoming desperate.

"There must be a better way to do this. I know the government doing its best, but this not working for seniors. The same way they go from house to house for election, they should do that to vaccinate seniors.”

Two other people said they weren’t too concerned about being stopped by police, since they live close to the centre.

One Greenvale resident said she left home around 4.30 am and walked to the health centre, which is 15 minutes away and a stone's throw away from the La Horquetta Police Station.

“I was so scared I would see police. I was even worried about someone doing me something. So what I did was walk close to people gate, so if anything happens I could run into their yard screaming.

“I think the government should use those same cars they used for election to bring seniors to the polling station to transport those who want to get there early.”

Confident that she would be the first one there, she found 19 people in the line already waiting before 5 am.

At the La Horquetta Health Centre, there were mostly people over 60.

A woman sitting at the front of the line told Newsday she left home before 4 am and walked to the centre, half an hour away.

Not everyone took the risk of breaking the curfew to get ahead. One man who came to Barataria with his 94-year-old mother told Newsday while he did consider taking a chance by leaving home during curfew hours, he said, “It was not practical to break curfew, and it made no sense taking that chance with my mother. Both of us would be charged.”

Although news of the 50-vaccine daily limit at each health centre had become public knowledge, 24 hours after it was introduced, over 100 more people remained in the line.

At Barataria, the first 50 were given numbers and the others were turned away. The centre usually opens at 8 am, but it wasn’t until minutes to 9 that the first group of five was invited inside.

One man at La Horquetta sitting inside a bus shed – the closest seat he could find while waiting – described the system as purposefully made to cause mayhem. He called on the government to increase the number of vaccination sites.

There were other complaints. Pensioner Hugh St Clair expressed concern about the conditions under which people had to wait.

St Clair, who told Newsday he unapologetically left his Barataria home during the curfew. said, “No access to the toilet, nothing, and I here since 4.55 am. So you could imagine for the others.”

After waiting over six hours to get the vaccine, St Clair left without being monitored for any severe side-effects afterwards. He only returned after he was told it was mandatory.

Many other seniors at the Barataria and St Joseph Health Centre vaccination sites were making their third attempt to get the Sinopharm shot.

At the sites, there were amputees, seniors finding seating along drains and sidewalks, and at Barataria one woman – pointing at the fresh wound dressing across the chest, from recent surgery – complained of the waiting conditions.

Newsday also spoke to Glenn Webster of Laventille, who escorted a visually impaired and physically disabled man to the site.

“These are elderly people standing outside (exposed) to the elements. That's not right…The only thing they would say is they were congregating, and then two weeks later they blame them for a spike (in cases).”