PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC -Health authorities are urging people to vaccinate against the coronavirus (COVID-19) and influenza as Trinidad and Tobago recorded five COVID-19-related deaths since December 28 last year.
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh also confirmed that the authorities had to dump an estimated 800,000 COVID-19 vaccines in 2023.
Speaking at the launch of the Health Ministry’s influenza vaccination drive at the Divali Nagar in Endeavour, in Central Trinidad, on Monday, they said the vaccines had to be dumped because they had expired.
“People were just not coming forward for COVID vaccines. Many people got vaccine fatigue. Many people believed the misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, unfortunately.
“They believed all the outright lies about COVID vaccine. And that’s unfortunate. To have dumped 795,000 doses of vaccines represents a terrible waste. And again, this is a global phenomenon where the hundreds of millions are dumping COVID-19 vaccines,” Deyalsingh said.
He said that Trinidad and Tobago had recorded five COVID deaths in the last three months after nearly two months of no COVID-19-related cases or deaths.
The Health Minister said despite the challenges, the government is continuing its efforts to acquire more COVID-19 vaccines.
Deyalsingh said nine people are hospitalized with COVID, including one person in intensive care Unit (ICU), as the emergence of the JN1 strain of the virus has led to a rise in hospitalizations in the United States.
Deyalsingh said the JN1 strain had not yet been detected here as of Sunday night, so he appealed to the elderly population and people most vulnerable to the virus to take the necessary precautions.
“These five deaths are in the typical population, that is, the elderly with comorbidities, hypertension, diabetes, and so on. So we want to send out a special appeal to families with elderly with comorbidities to take the usual precautions, mask-wearing, sanitizing, distancing.”
Deyalsingh also encourages the public to vaccinate against the influenza virus so that the flu vaccines do not meet the same fate.
The Ministry of Health said it received 75,000 doses of the (2023/2024) influenza vaccine on October 2, 2023, and distributed 22,566 doses.
The country has already recorded one flu-related death. The influenza season runs until May this year.
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