Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday said that all adult migrants living in Guyana will be vaccinated for COVID-19 in order for herd immunity to be achieved.
The government hopes to vaccinate 80% of the adult population by the end of 2021 so as to achieve herd immunity and exit the pandemic.
Jagdeo stated that migrants in Guyana are part of that percentage because they are living here and if they are not vaccinated they can be carriers of the virus.
“The vaccines are for everybody, including the migrants who are here,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony said that the vaccines will be administered in phases, starting with frontline workers. Once all frontline and healthcare workers are vaccinated, he said, they will move on to the elderly, persons with comorbidities and then the rest of the adult population. Like Jagdeo, he said this includ-es the migrants because of their hope of achieving herd immunity at the end of the year.
“Our objective is to achieve herd immunity and therefore we need the adult population to be immunized,” he said.
According to Anthony, 318 frontline workers attached to the George-town Public Hospital and the Infectious Disease Hospital were vaccinated with the Oxford Astra-Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday. The vaccination drive continued yesterday with dozens more across the country receiving their first dose of the vaccines.
