Vaccine booster programme kicks off tomorrow

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The Ministry of Health (MoH) will begin administering COVID-19 booster vaccines from tomorrow.

In announcing this during the virtual media briefing yesterday, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said it would be done on a phased basis at selected sites.

Claiming an important juncture had been reached in the fight against COVID-19, he said the one-month rolling vaccine booster programme will run from December 13 to January 7, 2022, in the first instance.

While the booster vaccine is not mandatory, health officials are urging people to come forward and be vaccinated voluntarily.

However, those who have already received their two-dose vaccine and refuse to get the booster shot will still be considered fully vaccinated and will be clear to travel abroad.

People who received the AstraZeneca (AZ) and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines will be eligible for the Pfizer booster vaccine.

However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not yet approved the vaccine combination of Sinopharm and Pfizer, so those who received the Sinopharm vaccine will only be eligible to receive a third shot of Sinopharm going forward.

Those who received the J&J vaccine, the minister said while the booster schedule will be the same as that for all other vaccines, this cohort of people, “can either get a J&J booster or a Pfizer booster,” which is an approved WHO combination.

For people who have received the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine, Deyalsingh advised, “We are going to be administering boosters for all the vaccines based on your anniversary date of when you would have received your second shot of a two-dose vaccine.”

Also, for those who received the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) one-shot vaccine, he said it would be calculated from, “When you received that one shot.”

In the case of AZ recipients, he said second-shots were launched on June 2, so that people who received second-does injections between June 1 and June 18, “We are asking you to come in from December 13 to December 18 to receive your Pfizer booster.”

“All recipients of AZ first and second doses, are going to receive a Pfizer booster,” the minister assured.

For people who received their AZ shots during the period June 19 and 25, he said, “We are asking you to come in for the period December 20 to 23, and on December 28 and 29.”

“If you received your AZ second shot between June 26 and 30, we are asking you to come in between December 30 up until January 7.”

Vaccine sites will remain closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Deyalsingh said the WHO had approved this vaccine combination for AZ recipients.

The schedule for people who were vaccinated from July going forward will be released sometime at the end of December.

A similar structure is in place for those who received the Sinopharm vaccine, so if the second shot was administered during the period June 15 to 18, a person is required to go for a third Sinopharm shot during the period December 13 to 18.

“If you got Sinopharm between June 19 and 25, you can come in again from December 20, the same sort of schedule, and from June 26 to 30, you come again on December 30 and you will get the Sinopharm third dose,” Deyalsingh said.

The J&J rollout began on August 22, which means that for people vaccinated between August 22 and September 21, the same schedule beginning December 13 to 18, will apply.

Deyalsingh said for those who would receive the Pfizer vaccine, the MoH would then inform of Pfizer booster shots for this category of people from March 2022, onwards.

Deyalsingh said there are only 17 sites currently set up but more can be added if the need arises.

COVID-19 deaths, infections

A further 22 people have died from COVID-19, the Ministry of Health announced yesterday.

They include eight elderly males, four elderly females, three middle-aged males and seven middle-aged females.

This took the total number of deaths from COVID-19 to 2,383.

The Ministry said three of them did not have any known medical conditions.

Active cases have reached 14,184, with 812 new infections.

A total of 500 people are now in hospitals with the virus.

The booster vaccine sites include:

1. Queen’s Park Savannah;

2. Hasely Crawford Stadium (drive-through);

3. Sangre Grande Civic Centre;

4. Hansraj Sumairsingh Multi-Purpose Complex, Mayaro;

5. Mayaro Sport Facility;

6. El Dorado COSTATT Campus;

7. Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima;

8. Wallerfield International Raceway (drive-through);

9. UTT Chaguanas Campus, Munroe Road;

10. Southern Academy for the Performing Arts;

11. South-West Indoor Sporting Arena, Point Fortin;

12. Dibe Health Centre;

13. Scarborough Health Centre;

14. Canaan Health Centre

15. Roxborough Health Centre;

16. Moriah Health Centre;

17. Port Mall Shopping Complex.