Boost needed in covid awareness

ON CHRISTMAS DAY, Minister of Health Terrance Deyalsingh resumed a tradition that had been put on hold for the past two years due to the covid19 virus.

Mr Deyalsingh’s presence at the maternity ward of the Port of Spain General Hospital was as good a sign as any of how much we have moved on from the more distressing days of the pandemic.

As was the recent issuing of ex-gratia payments to over 24,000 health sector workers as a token of gratitude for their service during the height of the outbreak.

And yet, the minister’s recent announcement of another covid19 booster vaccination programme is an acknowledgement that while one chapter may have ended, the covid19 story continues.

Almost three years since the first case in this country, we are living in a completely different world. Many will ring in the new year without any care or concern for covid19 or vaccines.

Deaths have been relatively low over the last few months and the focus has turned to deaths of a different nature: those caused by crime which has spiralled to unprecedented levels.

And yet, we cannot drop the ball. As noted by Caroni East MP Dr Rishad Seecharan recently, six deaths were recorded during December 14-20 and the number is likely to increase between Christmas and Carnival.

Dr Seecharan believes the Government is being too reactive, or rather not proactive enough, in how it runs the vaccination drive.

With some vaccines already outdated, he believes more should have been done to procure stock that is better suited to dealing with more recent and more highly contagious variants. The MP has a point.

But Dr Seecharan’s assessment of the Government being reactive might be to understate the case.
A year ago, the Government initiated the booster programme with a second drive this past May. It's most recent advisory notes that 718,124 people have been fully vaccinated but only 24 per cent –169,325 – have received a booster vaccine dose. The public seems to be more responsive to getting the influenza vaccine as 17,507 doses were administered as of November, the minister noted then. It's 67 per cent more than what was given for the entire season in 2021.

Globally, the pandemic picture is very mixed. Many countries, like Trinidad and Tobago, have populations that have moved on. Such has been the change that people who opt to wear masks sometimes find themselves in awkward positions in some places.

China is set to end quarantine measures for inbound travellers in the same week that this country launches its newest wave of boosters.

But that country continues to grapple with surges amid unprecedented protests from its population over the way leaders are handling the pandemic.

There also remain unresolved questions about the source of the virus and its true extent in the world’s most populous country.

With the approaching Carnival, however, set to be one on a grand scale there is need for a boost in public awareness once more.