Tracy on Tobago's low student covid19 vaccination turnout: 'Unfortunate'

THA Secretary of Health, Wellness and Family Development Tracy Davidson-Celestine has described as “an unfortunate situation” parents who are preventing their secondary-school-age children from being vaccinated against covid19.

She was speaking on Thursday at a key handing-over ceremony for the $27 million Moriah Health Centre.

Physical classes for vaccinated students in forms four, five and six are expected to start on October 4.

Davidson-Celestine said she did not have the statistics for the number of unvaccinated students between the ages of 12 and 18 in Tobago, but admitted the division continues to have challenges with its vaccination rollout.

She added despite this, it has succeeded in vaccinating 58 per cent of its targeted population.

“I am not so sure why residents out in the communities have those kinds of fears, because all of the research will indicate that the vaccines are very potent against the spread of the covid19 virus that we face at this time,” she said.

“And so it is a very unfortunate situation that we still have parents who are taking the position that they will not be sending their children to be vaccinated.”

Davidson-Celestine observed that countries such as Barbados and Jamaica are preparing to reopen schools “on the basis that a significant percentage of those school-age children have been vaccinated.

“But what we are also noting, even while they are moving forward to open schools in a particular way, we are also recognising that ICU and the hospitals are now filling up with children who are unvaccinated.”

She added, “To my mind, that is the most important point: how do we prevent severe challenges to our school-age children and even to our adult population if they are not fully vaccinated?”

Davidson-Celestine said the division will continue to push its vaccination programme.

“Some people are internalising this thing in ways that we really did not expect, and so we will continue to knock on every door, we will continue to move from community to community to ensure that people get the message that this is the only way.”

She said if the Tobago economy is to be reopened fully, vaccination is the only way

“So all we have been doing, as policymakers and even as technical people within the respective divisions and ministries, is to ensure that we provide the facts to the people, to ensure that we provide information so that they can make the right decision.”

Davidson-Celestine said despite the division’s challenges with hesitancy, she does not support calls for mandatory vaccinations at this time.

“I prefer at this time that it be voluntary, that people utilise and internalise the information and, of course, do their own research and recognise for themselves that this is the only way that we would move towards a full reopening of the economy.”