Ministry of Health Virtual Media Conference on COVID-19 - Saturday July 24th 2021

Key Points From The Ministry Of Health’s Virtual Media Conference On COVID-19 – Saturday July 24th, 2021 Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh reported that 326,276 people have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. So far, 179,382 have received their second dose. Minister Deyalsingh confirmed that the prison population is among the groups targeted for COVID-19 vaccination. He said just 10% of the population agreed to be vaccinated and more will be done to encourage this group since they live in close quarters with others. The Health Minister reiterated that COVID-19 vaccination remains voluntary, but it is highly recommended, especially to get in front of the Delta variant. Professor of Molecular Genetics and Virology and Head of the Department Of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences at The UWI, Christine Carrington, stated that while the highly contagious Delta variant has not been detected in T&T, it "doesn’t mean it’s not here." She noted that there is always some "lag time" between detection and when a virus arrives in a country and further explained that not every COVID-19 sample is screened for the variant, with some samples also being deemed unsuitable for sequencing. As such, she urged people to get vaccinated to prevent serious illness and death. Professor Carrington highlighted a medical study from Sri Lanka which indicated that the Sinopharm vaccine was effective in producing antibodies against COVID-19 and the Alpha, Beta and Delta variants in people with and without comorbidities. She explained that the COVID-19 vaccine "trains" the immune system so it can prepare "a stockpile of tools, like antibodies, B-cells and T-cells" to protect a person from getting seriously ill or dying if infection occurs. CEO North Central Regional Health Authority, Mr. Davlin Thomas, provided an update on COVID-19 vaccination sites. Five Health Centres have been added for vaccinations: - Blanchisseuse - San Raphael - Talparo - Macoya - Tacarigua No appointments are necessary at the Wallerfield Raceway Mass Vaccination Site. People can just drive in and get vaccinated. The NCRHA is also collaborating with NALIS to assist with data entry and call centre services for second dose appointments. A Dropbox service has been implemented at Health Centres within the NCRHA to facilitate the scheduling of appointments.