Vaccine availability said to be easing rush at sites

With enough vaccines to vaccinate everyone in TT, fewer people are going to get vaccinated.

The sites are seeing smaller numbers each week.

The country launched its vaccination programme on April 6, since when half a million people have received their first dose of a covid19 vaccine.

In the first three months of the programme, the Ministry of Health experienced several challenges, including overcrowding, rolling out an efficient appointment system and vaccine availability at sites as people rushed to get the shots. There were instances where many were turned away because of the daily limit of doses at each site.

Now, with 14 mass vaccination sites and all health centres designated covid19 vaccine sites, getting a vaccine has been made easier.

Despite calls by the Prime Minister for unvaccinated people to get the vaccine, in the last two weeks lines and crowds have grown smaller.

Some believe the drop in numbers is because many people are vaccine-hesitant.

But on a visit to vaccination sites in north Trinidad on Monday, one nurse at the Barataria Health Centre told Newsday, “We are now having the usual flow, outside the peak we experienced before.

"Over two weeks we realised things have normalised.

“We are not doing badly. There’s still the willingness from people to get the vaccine. It’s just people realised there is enough and they don’t have to rush, like when we had a limited amount in the past.”

She said with the availability of vaccines and the large number of people already vaccinated there won’t be crowds or long lines.

“That happened when we got the Sinopharm vaccine: there was the perception that there wasn’t enough, but once there is a variety of choices, people are not rushing, neither are they coming out early, because of the flexibility and availability of World Health Organization vaccines. They know they can walk in any time between 8 am and 4 pm and get a vaccine with ease.”

Newsday visited three other health centres, which were all closed by 3 pm. Centres are now said to be seeing smaller crowds before noon.

TT currently has the Pfizer, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccines.