25% of adult population fully vaccinated – Health Minister
Guyana has officially vaccinated just over 25 per cent of its adult population – representing 125,464 persons – with both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
This achievement brings the country one step closer to herd immunity, a feat which can be achieved only if approximately 85 per cent of the country’s eligible population is inoculated.
Second dose uptake has led to 25% immunization coverage
Recent statistics were announced by Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Thursday, when he shared that some 241,010 persons, or 49.5 per cent of the adult population, have taken their first dose. These persons are scheduled to return for their second dose when the waiting interval has expired.
Anthony welcomed the uptake seen thus far, as he stated, “I am very pleased with the uptake. A lot of people have come forward to get their second dose, but we also have first doses and we’re encouraging persons who have not been vaccinated as yet to come for those first dose…I want to appeal to people, because we do have first dose Sputnik and we have enough to give persons who want to receive the first dose Sputnik, but we’ve starting with those whose vaccination for second dose would become due.”
Along with the Sputnik V shots, both first and second doses are also available for the Sinopharm jabs. For the AstraZeneca vaccines, many persons are now due for their second dose.
Like Sputnik, AstraZeneca has a four-to-12-week interval between doses, but persons are advised to take their second shot at 12 weeks. For the Sinopharm vaccine, the second dose can be taken four weeks after receiving the first shot.
This week, it was revealed that the COVAX facility will be sending additional vaccines between this month and September. The Johnson and Johnson shots, purchased through the CARICOM-African Union Agreement, is expected to arrive in August.
Through an African Union/Caricom Agreement, Guyana is procuring 148,000 doses of vaccines – a portion of which would include Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccines.
The COVAX mechanism, which had sent over 62,400 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, is expected to make another delivery this month. The facility had committed to sending vaccines to cover 20 per cent of the eligible population.
Government had first ordered 400,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine; 200,000 first doses and 200,000 second doses. From that, Guyana has already received the 200,000 first doses as well as 61,000 of the second doses.
The country then placed a second order for 86,000 doses, comprising 43,000 first doses and 43,000 second doses. However, while all of the first doses from this second order were received, only some of the second doses have arrived. Another consignment is scheduled to arrive in the new week.
This month, a consignment of 100,000 Sinopharm jabs was delivered to Guyana as part of a state purchase. The full tranche will be used to immunise 50,000 people.
Because this vaccine does not require the ultra-cold storage, it is advantageous in the vaccine rollout to remote communities.
