The rollout of the second dose of the AstraZeneca covid19 vaccine will begin on June 7, according to Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh.

On Saturday at a press conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s, he noted that the vaccination of 60,000 people with AstraZeneca took place from April 6 to May 10. With the interim period between the first and second doses being eight to 12 weeks, people should get their second shots between June 7 and July 9.

The second doses would be given out at five mass vaccination sites including the National Racquet Centre in Tacarigua, the Mayaro Sports Facility, the University of TT campus on Monroe Road, the paddock at the Queen’s Park Savannah, and the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts.

He said each site has the capacity to vaccinate 1,000 per day. At 5,000 vaccines per day across all five sites, the exercise should take about 12 days.

He said people who received the first dose will be contacted by the relevant regional health authority to schedule an appointment for the second shot.”

Deyalsingh advised people to walk with their immunisation and national identification cards.

At that time, around 61,179 people would be fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca. Then, by the end of August, after those who received Sinopharm got their second dose, 134,000 people would be fully vaccinated.

“As more vaccines come in, which we expect from next week, those numbers would only go up and up.”

Deyalsingh added that the Sinopharm rollout started on May 21 and up to Friday, 20,642 people had their first dose. These included 175 people in homes for the aged, including staff. He called for more guardians to sign consent forms for the residents to be vaccinated.

In addition, he said since May 24, 4,682 employees of major ministries were vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccines gifted to TT by Bermuda and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

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