People taking booster jabs: 'We noticed the covid19 death rate'

The fear of succumbing to covid19 was on the minds of many as they got their vaccine booster on Monday at mass vaccination sites in south and central Trinidad.

When Newsday visited the UTT Chaguanas vaccination site around 9am, Chaguanas resident Dindial Rampersad said he was concerned about the country’s alarming death rate.

Rampersad, 57, told Newsday, “I came out because of the spike (in covid19 cases) and I noticed the increase in deaths.

“I had no concerns to get the booster and the only thing I was hesitant about was the weather.”

Rampersad has lost many friends to covid19 and explained that he would not like anyone to have the same experience.

So he is now calling on others to get their booster or get vaccinated if they aren’t.

He urged, “I’ve known quite a few people who got covid and died…as long as it have death and people are sick, you must feel a how about things.

“I would tell people to get vaccinated because with my experience I didn’t have any side effects or anything.”

During Newsday’s visit to the Chaguanas site, there was a steady flow of people but no more than 50 people at any given point in time.

While there a difference in the number of people at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) mass vaccination site in San Fernando, the sentiment was the same. When Newsday visited SAPA shortly after 10am, there were long lines of people registering and waiting to get their booster.

An enthusiastic Roy Brown told Newsday he wasn’t taking any chances with covid19 and getting the booster was the only option.

He lamented, “Long ago you use to see seven, nine (people dying from covid19) but now is 19, 20, 22, 24…so that’s why I came out to get my booster brother.

“What I does say is, you does try to talk to people, but if people have it in their head that they don’t want it (the vaccine), is only when they get sick they does get sense. You can only try to encourage people, but you can’t make them do it if they don’t want to.”

Kumarie Balroop, 29, and her husband Nishan Deonarine, 29, decided to get the booster not only to give themselves an extra layer of protection but also to protect their high-risk elderly parents.

Deonarine works in construction and interacts with many people daily, so the booster was a no-brainer for the young South Oropouche couple.

Balroop explained, “My husband works with a lot of people and we just wanted to be safe on the safe side especially because of our parents. I was initially hesitant to get the vaccine because of the talk of side effects, and us being so young as well, but I was hesitant to get the booster.

“Especially for other young people, make sure to get vaccinated, because you may want to go out for a drink on a Friday and you’ll want to be safe.”

One 60-year-old Cocoyea woman, who asked only to be identified as Susan, also came with her husband. Their fear of the omicron variant is what led them to get the booster.

During the Ministry of Health’s covid19 press briefing on Monday, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh confirmed Trinidad and Tobago had recorded its first case of the omicron variant.

Susan told Newsday, “We’ve had the first two doses of AstraZeneca and today we’re getting a Pfizer booster.

“To everyone I would say, please get vaccinated, I think it makes good sense and it gives you that little added protection.”

Another woman, who did not want to be identified, told Newsday if people were already fully vaccinated, then that means they trust their vaccine and shouldn’t hesitate to get a booster.

She pleaded, “You have to be guided by the experts and do your own research if you have concerns. You need to get your information from proper sources.”

An official at SAPA told Newsday the organisers were pleased with the turnout, but believed there would have been more people if not for Monday’s bad weather.

The official added, “So far the turnout has been going very well. We started just after 7am and we’ve had a constant flow of people who are coming for their booster.

“We also want to encourage people to visit any of the other sites in south where boosters will be given, if that’s more convenient for them.”

The Ministry of Health began its national covid19 vaccine booster programme on Monday.

Those vaccinated with AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, and Johnson and Johnson can visit the ministry’s 17 mass vaccinations sites with their vaccination cards and a form of identification to get their booster shots. Eligibility depends on the date they got their last shot.