AUG 19, 2021
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kenneth George, is reminding the public that the Barbados Drug Service’s website, http://drugservice.gov.bb/, to report any adverse effects from COVID-19 vaccines is fully functional.
He told the online and in-person audience at the fourth and final town hall meeting on vaccines and testing at the Combermere School last night that he, Dr. Elizabeth Ferdinand, and President of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners, Dr. Linda Williams, as well as persons in pharmacology and pharmacovigilance, sit on the Adverse Events Following Immunisation Committee.
In response to a contributor who asked if the website was working, Dr. George said the team meets weekly or bi-weekly, to “carefully” scrutinise the side effects reported, to see if there was a link to any of the vaccines administered.
Meanwhile, Dr. Williams informed the meeting that all reported cases were reviewed and the public can click on ‘Reporting Form for Suspected COVID-19 AEFI’ on the website, where reports may be made by doctors and patients.
“So, there are two different places that you can make a report that the doctor can either report it, or you can report it. And each of those reactions, each one is dealt with in turn, and if we need to get further information then we contact the persons,” she stated.
JULIE CARRINGTON – BGIS
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Pfizer Vaccine Now Available To The Public
AUG 20, 2021 – MELISSA ROLLOCK —- BGIS
The Pfizer vaccine will be available to members of the general public, aged 18 and up, from today, Friday, August 20.
The Immunisation Unit will allow persons to walk into the vaccination centres today, as well as Saturday, August 21, and Sunday, August 22, to receive first doses of the vaccine of their choosing, either the Pfizer or Sinopharm. They are cautioned, however, that there might be a wait depending on how many persons show up to be vaccinated.
The website, vaccine.gov.bb, will open for bookings later this weekend for appointments starting Monday, August 23. The process will be done by appointment after Sunday. Persons will get to select one of the two available vaccines when they go to book the location, date and time of their vaccinations.
The centres which will facilitate walk-ins for the Pfizer rollout today are the Masonic Centre, Salters, St. George; the Sea Rocks Dome, Maxwell Coast Road, Christ Church; Building No.2, Harbour Industrial Park, St. Michael, and the Sharon Moravian Church Hall, Sharon, St. Thomas.
It will continue on Saturday, at the Winston Scott Polyclinic, Jemmotts Lane, St. Michael; the Masonic Centre and Sea Rocks Dome for members of the public, and at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, St. Michael, for students and staff.
The sites operating on Sunday will be Building No.2, Harbour Industrial Park and the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Mile-and-a-Quarter, St. Peter.
The Immunisation Unit also invites individuals who had their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine before July 4, this year, and have not received an email or telephone call from the Unit, to visit any of the centres this week and next week to receive their second dose The vaccination sites open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.
