…Ali announces intensified Covid vaccination programme
…40 and over age group to be targeted next week
The Government is aiming to vaccinate at least 10,000 persons a day as it moves to intensify the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme now that it has procured some 200,000 additional doses of the vaccine, President Irfaan Ali announced on Wednesday.
As the programme intensifies in the coming week, the eligibility requirement will be expanded to include persons 40 years and older. Already, more than 25,000 health workers and persons 60 years and older have been inoculated.
“…the Government of Guyana is aggressively pursuing a strategy to vaccinate as many Guyanese as would be necessary to attain herd immunity and eventually, ensuring all Guyanese are vaccinated,” the Head of State said in his address to the nation on Wednesday evening.
It was explained that since January, 2021, the Government has approached a number of governments, manufacturers and agencies including the Governments of India, Russia and China, and COVAX, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna among others to procure vaccines. Aside from the donations made by China and India, President Ali said Guyana has successfully procured 200,000 vaccines.
“To aggressively expand the programme, the Government of Guyana has procured 200,000 doses of vaccines and is exploring the further procurement of another 200,000 doses aimed at achieving herd immunity in the fastest possible timeframe,” President Ali said.
Though he did not disclose the source of the vaccine, the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, on Monday, had said that Guyana was in line to receive 200,000 doses of Sputnik V Vaccine starting from next week. It was explained that the country would receive the vaccine in tranches of 50, 000. Sputnik V is a vaccine developed by Russian.
Noting that the goal is to vaccinate as many as 10,000 citizens per day, President Ali said his Administration will be embarking on an integrated approach involving Cabinet, local government bodies, civil society, medical and nursing students and the nursing brigade of the Guyana Defence Force. These personnel, he posited, will be trained to assist in the documentation of citizens so as to expedite the vaccination process.
“In the coming days, the Guyana Defence Force will provide support of 400 officers to expedite the registration of citizens, students from the medical and nursing programme in Guyana will volunteer and lend support to this expanded vaccination programme,” the President said while noting that all volunteers will also be vaccinated to limit their exposure to the COVID-19 virus.
Additionally, the Health Ministry has turned to the Private Sector for support in order to effectively manage and store the vaccines.
Earlier this month, Guyana received 20,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China to aid COVID-19 immunisation programme aimed at developing herd immunity.
The Sinopharm vaccine has shown a 79.4 per cent effective rate in some clinical trials while in others, the rate is higher. According to the Health Ministry it is “a very effective vaccine” and compares favourably to the other Covid vaccines on the market such as the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca. Additionally, Guyana received 80,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine – COVISHIELD from the Government of India. COVISHIELD was produced in India. Initially the country has received 3,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine donated by Barbados.
Notably, President Ali made no mention of the vaccines Guyana is expected to receive from COVAX.
Initially, Guyana was expected to receive some 100,800 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine through COVAX, however, it is now expected to receive 24,000 doses – 76,800 less than expected. Minister Anthony, on Monday, said the global platform, aimed at providing equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, has repeatedly revised the number of doses downward. The situation, according to the Health Minister, is worrisome.
President Ali, nonetheless, told the nation that in an effort to complement the vaccination efforts, the National COVID-19 Task Force has stepped up its enforcement of the COVID-19 Guidelines to ensure more effective compliance, with emphasis also placed on the country’s borders.
As the country gears up for two major religious and cultural holidays – Phagwah and Easter – the President is urging strict compliance with the COVID-19 measures that stipulate social distancing, the use of masks in public spaces and 40% occupancy within restaurants and other establishments. He said the COVID-19 Task Force has been advised to pursue charges against owners of establishments that are found in breach of the COVID-19 guidelines.
“Guyanese, the pandemic remains a serious national issue, a major global health concern; I urge you to continue to follow the guidelines, I urge you to continue to stay safe, I urge you to continue to protect your families and your communities by adhering to the COVID-19 guideline, we are not ahead of the curves, we are still managing this deadly pandemic,” the President said.
