Slow day for Pfizer rollout at El Dorado vaccination site

Parents trickled in with their children to receive the Pfizer covid19 vaccine at the College of Science, Technology, and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (Costaatt) El Dorado Campus.

Newsday visited the campus on Thursday and saw a few parents with their children entering the premises for the vaccine.

One mother, who requested anonymity, was there with her 13-year-old son. She said compared to when the vaccine first arrived at the site and the car park was full, today was relatively slow.

“Everything was smooth and quick,” she said. “We weren’t waiting long at all. There aren’t a lot of people inside.”

She said, ultimately, the decision to vaccinate will lie with the parent. Her son is asthmatic and it was important to her to have him vaccinated as an additional layer of protection against the virus.

“We consulted with his doctor in Arima before coming to make sure first that it was safe and they said we could go ahead. Asthma deals with the lungs he has to protect himself.”

She said she talked with his doctor because she also had concerns about the side effects, but she was reassured that it was safe for her son to take.

“All in all, we are satisfied.”

Another mother, there with her teenage daughters, said her children have been taking vaccines since they were babies.

“I believe in the vaccine. It's a vaccine just like any other and my daughters didn’t have a problem taking it.

“Parents make newborns and carry them to get the vaccine the same way. It’s a vaccine made just like the rest.”

The mother’s 18-year-old daughter, who asked to be anonymous, said she had concerns, initially because of rumours circulating online about its side effects, but ultimately she decided it was better to be vaccinated than get the virus.

Her 16-year-old daughter said she was always willing to get the vaccine and was ready to take it since she heard it was approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The El Dorado site was also accepting pregnant mothers to be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine.