Globally, the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) figures show that there have been over 223 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 4.6 million deaths. Significantly, over 5.5 billion vaccine doses have been administered. According to the WHO, more than 50 thousand people with COVID-19 have died every week since October last year, and for the past month, deaths have remained at almost 70 thousand a week.
Here in Guyana, 674 persons have died from the virus since March 2020 and this figure is more than likely understated. Up to Friday, 49 persons had already died for the month of September and that tally will grow. Every family in this country has had a loved one die with the virus or they are aware of friends or acquaintances who have passed. The COVID grim reaper is real.
Approaching nearly two years since the virus first surfaced in Wuhan, China there can be no doubt about its direct link to the over 4.6 million deaths that have occurred. It should also be equally clear that based on the most intense, multi-nation race for the production of vaccines in modern times, that high inoculation rates have seen a corresponding decline in serious cases and deaths even though there have been breakthrough cases with the Delta variant of the virus and there is a risk that more of these are being incubated especially in parts of the world where the vaccination rates are low and plodding.
In this part of the world, as of September 10, 329,909 persons have received a first dose of a vaccine – including 17,838 adolescents – while 172,155 persons are considered to be fully vaccinated. Of the high number of people who have received a first dose, there is little evidence, anecdotal or otherwise, that the vaccines have had any ill-effects. Indeed, as in the case of other countries, hospitalisations and deaths have been low among the single- and double-vaccinated population.
The Ministry of Health can do a more effective job of getting this message across. Within the bounds of patient confidentiality, the ministry should make clear the vaccination status of each person who has died with COVID and their co-morbidities. This should not be a problem as the dead are not being identified. It would also help the public to understand the conditions that pre-dispose them to death if they become infected with the virus. A leading underlying condition for those who die with COVID is diabetes. Not only should this message be starkly delivered but the Ministry of Health should also redouble its effort to interdict lifestyle diseases, particularly diabetes. It should work at the community level to make those with diabetes and other underlying conditions aware of how vulnerable they are to COVID-19 and why they and their families should heighten protective measures.
The public should also be cognisant of the fact that Guyana has sufficient vaccines available for those who need them and that large amounts of taxpayers’ money has been plowed into sourcing these. Through the COVAX mechanism, donations and purchases, Guyana has had access to AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Sputnik V, Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. Compared to other countries in the Caribbean and further afield this is an impressive array.
As with some other countries, Guyana ill-advisedly put too much emphasis on the Sputnik V vaccine as severe production problems have limited delivery of the second dose to persons. The lack of a Sputnik V second dose on demand has understandably frustrated persons who were led to believe that the second dose would follow on schedule. This has caused a mad scramble to access the second dose whenever it becomes available and oftentimes people have been turned away. The case of the late magistrate Cecil Sullivan is instructive. The government has to rectify the stunted delivery of these vaccines. If the company in the UAE is not able to immediately deliver after the months of delay that have already occurred, Guyana should cancel this deal and seek other options under the African Union platform and elsewhere. Alternatively, it should be guided on the best advice on a non-Sputnik V second dose for those who have been waiting patiently.
Considering the real vaccine hesitancy among parts of the populace who have followed news on the minuscule number of complications with the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, the Health Ministry can possible boost the uptake figure by another 10,000 by seeking to allocate some of the Pfizer shots for the adult population. Some unvaccinated persons have indicated a preference for the Messenger RNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) as opposed to the vector vaccines (AstraZeneca, Sputnik, Sinopharm). If it is clear that over 70,000 adolescents will not be taking up these vaccines then a portion of the US Pfizer donation could be made available for the holdouts.
While the public should have no tolerance for the bizarre myths that have flourished on social media about the vaccines and the virus and which have been spouted here by people who should know better, cynicism has also been fuelled by counter-intuitive actions by the government. Having entered office in August last year, the PPP/C government threw caution to the wind and reopened airports even before the emergence of the Delta variant. It has since refused to reverse any of its reopening decisions even though in other parts of the Caribbean, lockdowns have been employed to limit community spread. This refusal to recalibrate has created doubts in the minds of some that the best public health decisions have been made by the government. As a result, there has been pushback against the measures that have been recently announced by the government mandating that only vaccinated persons can enter any building frequented by the public without having to make an appointment.
Given the rising numbers of deaths, the government is well in order to seek to boost vaccination rates as this is the only known method to limit the COVID-19 scourge. It must however do more to get this message across to the entire population and should mobilise support from the opposition and civil society to do this effectively.