Spike in turnout for 'preferred' AstraZeneca vaccine at SAPA

Scores of people turned up at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) mass vaccination site in San Fernando on Monday morning for their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The vaccines are part of the estimated 82,000 doses of the AstraZeneca covid19 vaccine donated by Canada.

At the ministry’s covid19 media conference on Saturday, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said 10,000 first doses would be allocated to SAPA.

When Newsday visited the site shortly before 10am on Monday, one official said, “This morning we have a lot of people here especially for the AstraZeneca vaccine. Everybody is here and ready to get their shot.”

The official told Newsday most people had made appointments using the Ministry of Health’s online appointment system, which opened on Sunday.

With heavy rain at the site, the large number of people waiting to register had to huddle below the main registration tent.

Up to when Newsday arrived, the official estimated that at least 500 people had come for their jab.

Garnet West from Penal told Newsday he believed the AstraZeneca vaccine was the best vaccine to take if he wanted to travel abroad.

"To travel, all (vaccines) are good but this one is the one to get to go Canada."

Apart from travel, West added, "For the country to move on, and for the economy to get back going, we have to come out and get vaccinated."

Rebecca Bassant is in her 60s and has comorbidities that include diabetes and hypertension.

So the Penal resident told Newsday she made it a priority to get the jab.

Bassant told Newsday, “I wasn’t really waiting for the AstraZeneca, I was waiting for the Pfizer, but I don’t think it will come anytime soon.

“So this is what I decided today (to get the AstraZeneca), because there are so many places reopening and I’ll have to leave home to go different places.

“I think getting vaccinated is the safe way, because the vaccine is safe as well. People should take the vaccine because it’s scary out there (with covid19) and there are no other options.”

Apart from the AstraZeneca jabs being given at SAPA, the site also continued giving first and second doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.

However, it was noticeable that there were fewer people at the tents to register people for the Sinopharm jab.

In a press release on Monday afternoon, Police Commissioner Gary Griffith said that contrary to some media reports, the police did not shut down the SAPA site.

Griffith said that while police officers were assigned to monitor the site, they did not interfere with its operations.

Similar scenes played out at the mass vaccination site at the Ato Boldon Stadium, where there was also a rush for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The site is a public-private partnership involving the Ministry of Health, Proman Ltd and Tricare Medical Centre.

Head of corporate communications for Proman Fazaz Mohammed told Newsday, “We’ve had a very good turnout this morning (for the AstraZeneca vaccine), and that was just walk-in appointments.”

As of noon on Monday, Mohammed said the site had given jabs to over 350 people.

It also continued giving first shots of Sinopharm vaccine and started giving people second doses on Monday.