—Mervin Williams urges after near-death experience in Covid ICU
“There is clearly great value in being vaccinated against COVID-19. I urge everyone to get vaccinated today. I am not vaccinated. Had I been vaccinated my situation may have been different,”
Former Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Mervyn Williams, who recently emerged from Guyana’s COVID-19 ICU, has called on Guyanese to get vaccinated which he said could protect them from the worst effects of the virus.
After contracting COVID-19, Williams, who is unvaccinated, was transported to the country’s Infectious Disease Hospital at Liliendaal after his symptoms became severe. He experience difficulty breathing, among other symptoms, and was placed on the ventilator.
Had he been vaccinated, the former MP said that it is likely he would not have had such a harrowing experience.
“There is clearly great value in being vaccinated against COVID-19. I urge everyone to get vaccinated today. I am not vaccinated. Had I been vaccinated my situation may have been different,” he told the Village Voice News in a brief interview.
COVID-19 vaccines have been made available in Guyana since February 11, 2021, with over 300,000 already partially vaccinated and over 170,000 fully vaccinated. There are also various types of COVID-19 vaccines made available.
However, vaccination hesitancy is still present and has been linked to several reasons as expressed by citizens with, fear and uncertainty being among the main reasons. In recent months, the Government has implemented vaccination requirements for people to enter public buildings and for some in society to work, unless they can present a negative PCR test.
While Williams intends to speak in detail on his experience at a later date when he has fully recuperated, he said: “The Administration appears to be making every effort to get the vaccine out there to citizens. We all should go out and get vaccinated. COVID is real. The vaccine appears to be the way to go at this time. It is only the power of God that has kept and is keeping me. God willing, when I am better and the time is right, as advised by doctors, I shall take the vaccine.”
In a previous interview with the Village Voice News, Williams also applauded the medical team at the hospital for their exemplary service. He spent almost one month battling the virus and gave thanks to God as well as the health workers who provided him with care.
“That hospital has the best team of young medical professionals. They care, they go beyond the call of duty, they work with you, they are the best…may God continue to bless, guide, inspire and protect them as they take care of our nation’s health,” he said.
