Mad rush for Pfizer: sites run out of vaccine in South

THERE was a mad rush for the Pfizer vaccine, considered the gold standard of covid19 vaccines globally, at several of the South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) vaccination road trip sites on Saturday.

The response to the Prime Minister’s announcement that 50,000 doses would be available for the general public was so overwhelming, several of the smaller sites like the Pleasantville MIC Centre and Esperance Regional Complex, ran out of vaccines shortly after lunch, leaving a larger crowd to gather at Gulf City Mall, where the rollout began around 1 pm.

Rajiv Diptee, president of the Supermarket Association (SATT), which administered approximately 1,600 Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines at Mid Centre Mall, Chaguanas, said some people still left without getting the jab.

He said this was SATT’s last vaccination rollout programme, which had experienced challenges with the time constraints and human resources.

“But we navigated the obstacles,” Diptee said.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, the MP for San Fernando West ,where Gulf City is located, had to request a further 30 volunteers to register the crowd in the auditorium and vaccinate people in a separate area.

The elderly and infirm in the lines were pulled out to receive special treatment.

The AG said he also spoke to Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh about the shortfall and asked him to make every effort to have the Pfizer available in his constituency.

There are two more days to administer the Pfizer vaccines at Gulf City – on September 10 and 11 from 1-6 pm each day – and Al-Rawi promised an improvement to the arrangement.

A volunteer from Esperanza Village said, “We did not expect it would have been oversubscribed.”

He said the tents were filled and overflowing when he got to the site at 7.30 am, as people braved the bad weather to get to the sites early to be part of the 25,000 people benefiting from the 50,000 doses Rowley offered.

Police had to be called out to quell several near-disturbances as people from as far as St Joseph, Cedros, Barrackpore and Princes Town crowded the space to get their first jab.

There was no order according to time of arrival at this site, and some who came earlier than others found themselves way in the back of the line ,which at one time was close to 1,000 people, a volunteer who wished not to be identified told Sunday Newsday.

The peace was again disturbed as a local government representative brought about six people he hoped could jump the line to get preferential treatment. Police threatened to shut down the vaccination drive if the crowd could not be controlled and maintain their social distance.

While J&J and Pfizer were administered there was a greater demand for Pfizer.

The 50,000 is part of a first tranche of 305,370 doses which was donated by the US to TT in August.

The US has pledged to deliver a total of 907,920 doses to the country. Initially, the Pfizer was to be used only for children between 12 and 18, to ensure their return to physical classes. It was also reserved for pregnant women, teachers and health workers.

Al-Rawi ,who helped in the co-ordination of the drive, along with the SWRHA and Ministry of Health, addressed the crowd at Gulf City and called for patience.

He also walked through the long lines to get people to social distance.

He later told the media, “What has happened today has been overwhelming. We did not expect it would have been this voluminous as today. We are very pleased to see such a turnout.”

While impressed with the response for the Pfizer vaccines made available because of the slow uptake among children and with an October expiry date, Al-Rawi underscored that there are 1.9 million doses of vaccines still available in this country.

“Trinidad and Tobago is in a very fortunate position. We have Sinopharm, and roughly about 1,500 a day continue to take the Sinopharm, we have AstraZeneca, we have Johnson & Johnson and we have the Pfizer.

“All in all we have 1.9 million vaccines available. What we are not seeing from the population is the understanding of how important it is to take the vaccine.

“My simple message to TT and to San Fernando in particular, is if you look to some of our Caricom neigbours who have shut down or whose health care systems are at the brink or have in fact collapsed, it is only now people are turning up (for vaccination).

“We do not want to be in that position where we see catastrophe in our public health system and then people turn up.”