Guyana yesterday received five ultra-cold storage freezers from the United States Embassy to increase the country’s capacity to store COVID-19 vaccines.
The freezers, which cost approximately US$72,000, were handed over to the Minister of Health at the Ministry’s Kingston Storage bond. During the handing over, Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy Mark Cullinane said that the U.S. is committed to assisting Guyana in combatting the pandemic.
He noted that funding for the freezers was provided by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Humanitarian Assistance Program. “These freezers will help ensure that COVID-19 vaccines will be stored according to safety protocols, while also building the capacity of Guyana’s health system,” he noted.
Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony expressed gratitude for the donation while adding that one of the most important parts of managing vaccines is to ensure that there are adequate cold storage systems. He said the freezers are going to complement the ultra-cold system, meaning that we can cater for vaccines that are at the lower temperature range and so this would really enhance that capacity,” the minister said.
This, he added, did not just happen as the ministry has been engaged with the U.S. in a number of discussions over the last several months and he called the donation a testament to the strong partnership that Guyana has had with the U.S. government from very early in the pandemic.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the handing over ceremony, the minister when asked if the addition of these freezers now gives Guyana the capacity to receive and store the ultra-cold vaccines, like the Pfizer shot, said the ministry has prepared for the entire spectrum of vaccines that are available. “These can be repurposed to bring them down to minus 20, so it ranges from minus 80 to minus 20. Some of the vaccines that we are currently using are minus 20 so they would be in use,” he disclosed.
When Stabroek News asked where the freezers would be deployed, Anthony stated that the ministry would have to look at the needs of the regions as there has been some variability in relation to how the regions have been conducting vaccinations. He added that for those regions that would need it, the ministry could possibly deploy to said region.
Anthony further noted that in 2020 the ministry added capacity for storage of vaccines in all regions. “Overall, in every region, we have upgraded the system but depending on what vaccines are being used we can then decide which one of the freezers to send,” he added.
He also mentioned that there was one instance of spoilage of vaccines in Guyana, as those shots were deployed to the remote community of “Gunns Village” in Region Nine. “I think we sent in that team with 200 or a little bit more than 200 vaccines and at that time I think only about 16 persons took vaccines and because the plane couldn’t get in back to them either to deliver dry ice or to get them out of Gunns… those vaccines spoiled,” he explained.
