President Irfaan Ali last evening announced that the COVID-19 vaccination campaign will be expanded next week to include persons over 40 and more shots are being procured for this.
He said that once the heightened vaccination campaign gets rolling the government hopes to inoculate as many as 10,000 persons per day. At the moment around 2,000 persons per day are being vaccinated which means that a major effort will be needed to accomplish 10,000 per day. Furthermore, large vaccine shipments will be needed.
Just over 25,000 persons have received their first vaccination. To date the government only has vaccines for 51,500 persons. It has since purchased 200,000 Russian Sputnik 5 vaccines – enough for 100,000 persons – from the United Arab Emirates. These vaccines are expected in 50,000 tranches beginning next and would be necessary to fulfil the expanded vaccination campaign.
The President told the COVID-19 vaccination update that since the beginning of the inoculation campaign in March, more than 25,000 persons have received their first shots. It was also noted that since January, the government has approached several other governments, agencies, and manufacturers, in a bid to procure vaccines for the country.
“We have so far approached the governments of India, China, Russia, the UAE, OIC, COVAX, Pfizer, Astra-Zeneca, [and] Moderna. Other than the donations made by India and China, Guyana is now procuring vaccines from various sources,” President Ali informed. He added that the government is currently pursuing a strategy to vaccinate as many Guyanese as possible to attain herd immunity with the goal being to administer as many as 10,000 shots daily at peak.
“Our goal is to vaccinate as many as 10,000 citizens per day. To achieve this the Government of Guyana is embarking on an integrative approach including Cabinet oversight, local government bodies, civil society, medical and nursing students, and the medical brigade of the Guyana Defence Force,” the president said.
These bodies, Ali continued, will be trained to assist in the documentation of citizens in an attempt to expedite the country’s vaccination process. These persons will include students from the medical and nursing programmes in Guyana who will volunteer and lend support to the aggressive programme. These volunteers, he said, will also be vaccinated to limit their exposure to the virus.
While reminding that the current focus of inoculation is on healthcare workers and citizens 60 years and older, he announced that the criteria will be expanded in the new week. “Early in the new week the vaccination programme will be expanded to all persons 40 years and older.”
As it relates to the acquisition of sufficient vaccines to achieve herd immunity, the president went on to say that even as the government has procured 200,000 doses of vaccines, it is currently exploring the procurement of another 200,000 doses. However he did not mention which of the available vaccines the government is looking to procure in that additional 200,000.
“In order to store and manage the vaccines and execute the task, the Ministry of Health has engaged various private sector players with capacity to assist to complement the vaccination efforts,” President Ali said.
The enforcement of the COVID-19 guidelines by the country’s National COVID-19 Task Force, Ali noted, is expected to be stepped up and he announced the engagement of an expanded joint services operation along with the private sector and other members of civil society to further secure the country’s borders. Additionally, he said that the Guyana Defence Force will provide 400 officers in order to expedite the registration of citizens.
With regard to coming religious and cultural events which include, Phagwah, Easter, and the observance of Ramadan, the Head of State urged religious leaders to adhere to the approved COVID-19 guidelines for those events.
And for those establishments that are found in breach of the country’s COVID-19 guidelines, Ali made it clear that the COVID-19 task force has been advised to pursue charges against errant owners.
“We need all Guyanese on board [and] while we have sought to strike the balance between (the) economy and the health management of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have to be responsible. Businesses must understand that it is critical for them to adhere to the 40% occupancy, to adhere to the protocols that customers should follow while using their establishment and to ensure that they protect their fellow Guyanese brothers and sisters,” the President noted.
