–President urges Guyanese to take Covid vaccine
With the total COVID-19 cases to date in Guyana at over 16,300 and the death toll at over 360, President Irfaan Ali has urged Guyanese to value their lives and that of their family and friends by adhering to the COVID-19 measures in place and ensuring that they are vaccinated.
At Guyana’s 55th Independence Flag Raising Ceremony on Tuesday, President Ali pleaded with the public to do more to protect themselves and the people around them. “We mourn those deaths and sympathise with the families who have lost loved ones. I plead with all to help stop these deaths; stop the tears of anguish; stop the grief,” he said.
The Head of State described the coronavirus as an unseen, ever-present enemy that has snuffed the lives of too many. He pointed out that the Government has put in place measures to protect its people, the most recent being the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines with 20 percent of the population already being vaccinated.
Coupled with this, he said, is considerable private sector enthusiasm for investing in modern hospitals, fully equipped with the latest technology.
However, the existence of these measures and technology on their own is not enough to curb the spread of the virus. The President said that persons must want to cooperate with the Government to ensure that the virus does not overpower the Government’s efforts.
He urged more Guyanese to let go of their vaccination hesitancy so that everyone can be inoculated from the dreadful virus.
“The length of this battle depends on how soon each of us is fully vaccinated, liberating ourselves to return to a high level of normal life, and protecting others from infection. In the past, we have immunised generations of our people from measles, mumps, typhoid, polio, yellow fever, meningitis, hepatitis, and other communicable diseases, proving that vaccination saves lives—vaccination saves lives. My brothers and sisters please let us get vaccinated, let us take each other and get vaccination, so that we can return to normalcy as fast as possible,” he urged.
