Announcing that he will this week be taking his COVID-19 vaccine to help boost public confidence in the immunization process, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony yesterday said that government is diligently working to source at least 500,000 complete doses to cover Guyana’s adult population and urged those eligible to take their shots.
Anthony told Stabroek News that although government has to and is willing to pay for most of the doses, the global demand has seen this country having to source vaccines from a number of different countries.
Only recently, he said government moved to purchase some 200,000 doses of the Russian-developed Sputnik 5 vaccine from Moscow.
Guyana had earlier purchased 5,000 doses from Moscow but has not yet received those as, according to Anthony, the logistics of getting the vials here was still being finalized.
“We are talking to the company. The 5,000 we will pay for but we have not gotten it. We are working out the logistics. The vaccines are available. The idea is to make sure it is properly shipped and we have asked for more,” he informed.
During an update last Friday, Anthony reiterated that the government has been engaging with Russia to acquire the vaccines directly. “We have been engaging the Russian institutions pertaining to the Sputnik vaccine and we are working to get some Sputnik vaccines directly from them,” he had said.
He mentioned a purchase order for approximately 200,000 doses of the vaccine from which authorities are expecting to have the first 50,000 in Guyana within a two-week period.
Anthony said that simultaneously, discussions are being had with a United Arab Emirates pharmaceutical company for additional doses. Details on that arrangement, he said, were not readily available at his fingertips yesterday but he promised to get the information on the company and transaction today.
And as it pertains to doses this country was promised under the COVAX initiative, the Minister of Health reported that government is still awaiting details of when that 108,000 doses will be made available. “About a month and a half ago they said they would supply 108,000 doses or 20% of our adult population and since then we have been waiting. We have been asking them when will we be getting this but they have not given it to us,” he said.
But as it turns to a number of places to source the required number of doses to reach its “between 450,000-500,000 adults” target, the Health Minister is optimistic that all adults who want to be vaccinated will be by the end of this year.
He is appealing to the public to trust the process and vaccines offered and to take their shots as they must not only think about themselves but also about the vulnerable groups in society – the elderly and those with comorbidities.
As at today, he said that the Ministry of Health would have expected to have immunized about 20,000 persons in total.
Guyanese has received 103,000 donated shots from Barbados, China and India. This number can inoculate 51,500 persons with both required doses.
Anthony said that medical teams went to “all the old people’s homes to offer them first” but some persons have refused to take the jab.
“If people don’t want it we are not forcing but pleading with them to think about others. What it does is prevent persons from getting the most severe (illness). It will prevent you from going into ICU and hospital …You can still get it but what it does is prevent the most severe form and that makes a big difference especially for older persons and those with comorbidities,” he said.
“The key is getting in enough vaccines to get everyone in the target groups vaccinated. So one part is to source the vaccines and get it into the country and the second is to encourage people to take the vaccines. Once we can get those two things on set, everything would be fine,” he said.
The Health Minister informed that he will soon be taking his shot in the hope it boosts confidence in the public and others will In turn follow suit. “I’ll be taking mine shortly… I hope when I take mine we will see a boost in others taking theirs. I will challenge them to take it if they want to see me get mine first,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Minister of Health and current Advisor on Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy yesterday called on all political leaders, especially in the opposition, to do their part in galvanizing support for taking the shot.
“Our political leaders have certain responsibilities. Now that we are rolling out COVID-19 vaccines for persons 60 years and older, I would like to see our political leaders urging people to come out for their vaccines. I know both the PPP and the APNU/AFC (PNC) leaders have taken their vaccines,” Ramsammy said on his Facebook page.
“I know that the leaders of newer political parties also took their vaccines. But I notice the only ones not urging people to take vaccines are those in APNU/AFC. I am still very hopeful that David Granger, Joe Harmon, (Raphael) Trotman, (Khemraj) Ramjattan, Volda Lawrence, (Moses) Nagamootoo will come out and urge people to take their vaccines. If it was good for them I must be good for everybody,” he added.
