Key Points From the Ministry of Health’s Virtual Media Conference – Wednesday 29th September 2021
– Minister of Health, Terrence Deyalsingh announced that starting from tomorrow, Thursday 30th September, all mass vaccination and drive through sites will be offering Sinopharm, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. He also stated that the 30th will be the last day for the administration of the 1st dose of Astrazeneca, as it is currently experiencing very low uptake and is close to expiration.
– Minister Deyalsingh stated that as of Monday, there has been a 50% increase in the first dose vaccine uptake and currently, 40.9% of the population have received their 1st dose while 35.2% of the population have completed their vaccine regime. The Health Minister also stated that 45.5% of the 12-18 population have received one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
– Principal Medical Officer of Institutions, Dr. Maryam Abdool-Richards provided an update on the status of the parallel healthcare system and shared that currently the total hospital occupancy is at 40%. She elaborated that Trinidad is at 35% occupancy and Tobago is at 44%.
– Dr. Richards also indicated that 95.5% of persons admitted to ICU and HDU are not fully vaccinated and that the current ICU occupancy is at 92%, while the HDC occupancy is at 23%.