NCRHA CEO: Tremendous response to Pfizer by youngsters

DAVLIN THOMAS, North Central Regional Health Authority CEO, described the first-day response to the Government's rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to 12-18-year-olds as "tremendous."

He was addressing the Ministry of Health's virtual update on the covid19 pandemic on Wednesday.

Thomas said the morning's rollout had brought a "tremendous response from
juveniles" from 12-18 years old at the sites in the NCRHA's catchment area of the Wallerfield Raceway, the Larry Gomes Stadium, and the Costaatt El Dorado Campus.

He said adult patients with non-communicable diseases tracked by the RHA, plus people seeking a second dose, can get vaccinated by way of either a walk-in or appointment.

"The total number of vaccination doses we (NCRHA) have distributed to date is 154,350," he said.

The NCRHA has vaccinated 1,085 people at some 57 homes for the elderly, 98 per cent of the homes in the RHA's catchment area.

"We applaud the staff of the NCRHA who continue to engage vaccinations with all of their capacity, strength and sagacity."

Epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds said covid19 cases have continued at a plateau, noting nationwide 457,991 people have received one dose of a vaccine and 329,737 both doses.

Paediatric consultant Dr Mariama Alleyne said the Mayo Clinic in the US had found that the Pfizer vaccine was 100 per cent effective in preventing covid19 infection in children aged 12-15, 95 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic illness in youngsters 16 and older and 96 per cent effective in preventing severe disease caused by the delta strain.

She said studies showed myocarditis – an inflammation of the heart muscle – was extremely rare in youngsters after vaccination with Pfizer. If it occurs, it is in older teenagers (17 and over) and young adult males (up to 30 years.)

"From all the studies done in Israel, US and UK, all of these patients who experienced this very rare phenomenon have had mild diseases and have recovered without any special treatment.

"There have certainly been no deaths from myocarditis associated with the Pfizer vaccine."

She said myocarditis signs to watch for included palpitations/racing heart, short breath and chest pain, all more likely after the second dose than the first.

Alleyne warned that covid19 itself causes myocarditis, to the tune of 76 cases per million for youngsters age 12-17 and 450 per million for those 18-30.

"So we see that the chance of getting myocarditis from the covid19 virus infection is much, much more likely than the chance of getting myocarditis from the Pfizer vaccination."

She said 52 youngsters in TT infected with covid19 had a condition known as MIS-C, seen as inflammation due to an excessive response to the virus, requiring intervention by paediatric cardiologists, paediatric neurologists and paediatric nephrologists. The doctor said children can suffer long covid eight weeks after getting infected, including malaise, body pains, brain fog and very debilitating lung injury due to covid19.

Alleyne said the Pfizer vaccine was used for children in the US, UK, Italy, France, Netherlands, Germany, Brazil and Canada.

"Currently the delta variant is said to be the most prevalent one in the US and we have seen reports coming out of the US that it is indeed causing more severe disease in children."