With $6.8 billion to be allocated for Guyana’s COVID-19 response in this year’s proposed national budget, the Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony has said the funds are expected to be used for procurement of vaccines, support for outreach programmes and drugs for treatment, among other things.
During his daily COVID-19 update on Thursday, Anthony detailed some of the priority spending areas, and he noted that the ministry is expecting that it would be able to access vaccines for children between the ages of 5 and 11.
Further, he stated that Pfizer is also expected to submit the relevant information to the United States Food and Drug Administration in relation to vaccines for children 6 months to 5 years old. And if it is made available this year, he added, authorities here would like to have it here and as a result resources have been set aside to facilitate a purchase.
“In addition to vaccines this year, we will continue the procurement of medication that can be used to treat patients with COVID-19. We are hopeful that this year we will be able to have access to Paxlovid and Molnupiravir,” he said while adding that the government will continue to purchase drugs that have been a part of Guyana’s treatment regimen, like Remdesivir and Barcitinib.
The allocation, Anthony said, will also be used to procure items such as oxygen for COVID-19 patients as well as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as masks, gowns, hair caps, shoe covers and more, which he stated that authorities need to have in adequate quantities.
Further, Anthony mentioned that resources are also being put toward the continuation of outreach programmes, like the ‘drive-thru’ vaccine activities and others that have been done. In addition to this, it was further noted that the country’s cold chain is expected to be expanded.
The minister said during the update that while President Irfaan Ali has spoken about the possibility of self-testing for COVID-19, that is something that the local authorities will be looking at this year. He indicated that monies will go to procure the relevant test kits to do PCR and antigen testing.
