Govt. to aggressively pursue countries and suppliers for COVID-19 vaccines

Feb 01, 2021 News

– says COVAX’s contribution will not be enough to immunize population

Kaieteur News – The government will be aggressively pursuing the assistance of several countries manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines and individual manufacturers to bolster its immunization capacity. This is because the vaccines slated to arrive from the COVID -19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility will not be sufficient to protect the majority of the citizenry.

His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali

Making this revelation was President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. He was at the time, providing updates on the government’s plans during a press conference that was held on Saturday.
Guyana had joined the COVAX facility last year which includes organizations like the World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness, and Innovations and GAVI – the Vaccine Alliance. The facility’s main aim is to ensure lower-income countries acquire vaccines for at least 20 percent of their population.
During the briefing, it was stated that Guyana will receive vaccines for 20% of the population, but since it will not be enough “all avenues need to be explored” for the acquisition of more vaccines. That includes utilizing multilateral and bilateral arrangements according to President Ali. He stated, that the government is working with CARICOM, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the European Union for a quota of vaccines.
As it relates to bilateral engagements, the President noted that the government has already had productive discussions with the Governments of India, China, and Russia, for the supply of vaccines. So far, the Chinese government has already committed to donating 20,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Guyana. As the government continues to engage with the countries, the discussions to acquire vaccines will be finalized shortly.
The President also disclosed that he and his team are negotiating directly with major manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines. “We are also negotiating with the major manufacturers Pfizer, BioNTec, Moderna and AstraZeneca and hope shortly to finalize a supply of vaccines from these manufacturers,” Ali noted.
Guyana is slated to receive 3,800 doses from the COVAX facility between February and March free of cost which will be immediately allocated to frontline health workers, people with co-morbidities and the elderly.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, who was also present at the briefing, said that according to experts the government will need to immunize as close to 80 per cent of the population in order to achieve herd immunity.
He shared that the training of health officials which includes nurses with the necessary experience and other health care workers has already commenced. In total, 35 teams will be trained.
Additionally, he informed that those who receive the vaccines will be kept in isolation for a short period so that they can be observed for any adverse effects of the virus. Persons who are vaccinated will also be required to carry a vaccination card.
As it relates to proper storage for the vaccines, the Health Minister revealed that 14 storage sites across the country are currently being expanded and the government is working assiduously to procure freezers for their storage.
The President also took the opportunity to inform citizens that they will not be forced to take the vaccine but, he is encouraging them to take it so that the country can achieve immunity.