The Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) says the Tobago Regional Health Authority erred in its decision to move away from the National policy of vaccinating our most vulnerable citizens first.
According to the national policy, the first phase of the program involves vaccinating healthcare workers and persons over 60 with non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension, who are more susceptible to COVID-19.
But, on April 8, the TRHA said while frontline workers and those over 60 years are first in line for the vaccine, it is open to everyone over 18 years.
This is not pleasing to the PDP.
In a release today, the PDP cites the 2011 population census which stated that more than 6,000 persons over the age of 60 years are on the island. The party’s deputy leader Dr. Faith B. Yisrael pointed out that the level of non-communicable diseases is high in that age group, so they need vaccination.
Dr. Yisreal says that the TRHA is “missing the mark” with the vaccination roll-out plan.
She says using an online registration platform puts the elderly who are “not tech-savvy” at a disadvantage.
She suggested the TRHA should have used clinical records to identify vulnerable persons, offering them telephone registration.
Tobago has received 3,200 doses of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine. Two hundred in March and 3,000 last week.
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