3rd Covax AstraZeneca tranche to be used at mass vaccination sites

The AstraZeneca vaccines received from Covax will be rolled out immediately to join the doses being dispensed from the Canadian donation.

These vaccines will expire at the end of November.

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh made the statement at Wednesday’s covid19 virtual media conference.

The third tranche of 33,600 AstraZeneca covid19 vaccines allocated to Trinidad and Tobago by Covax arrived at PiarcoAirport at 6.06 am on Wednesday.

The first two tranches, each consisting of 33,600 AstraZeneca doses, arrived on March 30 and May 10.

Deyalsingh said the AstraZeneca would be available for first doses at all mass vaccination sites, while Sinopharm would be available at all health centres and drive-through sites, as well as at places of worship and through community outreach.

“The lion’s share will join the Canadian donation. We will reserve 7,000-8,000 for people who have to get second doses, and we can pump another 13,000 into the system. The mass vaccination sites will get an additional boost.”

He gave an update on the status of the vaccine rollout for first doses.

“In early July, with the Sinopharm vaccine, we would have had an average of 15,000 doses a day, while in early August this would have decreased to 4,500 doses a day.

"With the addition of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the number of first shots on Monday was 7,050, of which 2,915 were Sinopharm and 4,135 were AstraZeneca.

"On Tuesday, 7,384 first doses were given out, of which 2,316 were Sinopharm and 5,068 were AstraZeneca.

"Thus far, 432,806 people have received their first dose, which is approximately 31 per cent of the population.”

He implored the population to get vaccinated now rather than waiting until there was a crisis. He said while the ministry preferred people to make appointments through the call centres and the ttvaccine.com website, it would not turn away walk-ins.

“What has been happening is that people with appointments have been coming in an hour or two before their appointment and bouncing up with the people who are walking in, which is giving us a bit of a logistical problem. We’re asking that people come in 15-30 minutes before their appointment.”

With respect to second doses, Deyalsingh said 12,083 had been given out on Monday, of which 919 were AstraZeneca, while 11,946 had been given out on Tuesday, of which 649 were AstraZeneca.

He reiterated that to achieve herd immunity, 60-70 per cent of the population would have to be vaccinated.

“If we can get 14 days where 10,000 first shots are given, this will take us up to 572,000 people, which will be approximately 40 per cent of the population. To get there, the ministry is using communication through various means, giving people a choice of vaccines, making sure the vaccines are within easy reach, and they are free.”

The Sinopharm vaccines expire in June 2023. Of the Canadian donation, 31,000 expire at the end of August, of which 9,000 have been used so far, while the rest expire at the end of October.

The Covax vaccines will expire at the end of November. Deyalsingh said he was confident that all the vaccines would be used before their expiry dates.

Deyalsingh denied claims that the Health Ministry had made it mandatory for food handlers to get vaccines. He said the ministry was not taking away anyone’s rights, but reiterated it was important for people to get vaccinated to protect those who could not take the vaccine, including children, pregnant women and others.

He said the vaccination rate among nursing staff continues to be of concern, with approximately 50 per cent of nursing staff being vaccinated. He urged them to get vaccinated.

“We don’t want any healthcare worker to fall prey to covid19. We don’t want you to catch it from a patient, or pass it on to a patient, your family, friends, coworkers or communities.”

Deyalsingh disclosed that another instance of fake vaccination cards had been detected and sent to the police.

“In this case we have the person who wrote the card. Hopefully they can be prosecuted successfully and spend seven years in jail. I can’t give further details as it would be irresponsible of me to say anything that could possibly preclude successful prosecution.”

Epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds said the positivity rate was now in the high 20s/low 30s per 100 tests. He reminded that the numbers are driven by people who present themselves to be tested.

He said so far, there has been a plateau rather than a decrease in the number of cases.

He urged people to be cautious while moving about and not to do so unnecessarily.