Some 95 per cent of the staff employed at the Kwakwani Utilities Incorporated is vaccinated against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), according to the company’s General Manager, David Adams.
General Manager David Adams and Regional Health Officer Dr Gregory Harris
The General Manager disclosed that 86 per cent of the staff have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while eight per cent are fully vaccinated.
It was noted that many of the staff that received their first dose only, are employees who received the Sputnik-V vaccine and now sit amongst the 80,000 Guyanese awaiting their second dose.
Meanwhile, three per cent of the staff with pre-existing medical conditions submitted exemption letters, while the other two per cent await confirmation as to whether they are eligible for exemption letters.
KUI in collaboration with the office of the Regional Health Officer over the past several weeks embarked on a series of sensitisation and educational drives in relation to COVID-19; vaccines and its effectiveness across every department of the company and as such, employees felt moved to take the jab.
Regional Health Officer, Dr Gregory Harris in an invited comment expressed joy in the company’s GM for inviting him and team on a series of health outreaches which later led to a positive output. The RHO urged the residents and particularly other organisations to follow in the path of KUI.
“We are trusting that other organisations use KUI as a model and try to pattern their example they have set. I will also like to urge the general public to take their vaccines so we can achieve herd immunity; vaccines are safe and effective,” Dr Harris said.
The company’s Human Resource Officer, Holly Ferreira, during an interview with this publication, uttered sentiments of satisfaction in staff displaying some level of seriousness in regards to their health and those around them.
“I feel satisfied that 95 per cent of the staff respect the Government’s guidelines and more so, protecting themselves and loved ones,” Ferreira said.
Ferreira was the first employee of the company that opted to be vaccinated, which she said served as an inspiration to the then unvaccinated staff. “As a leader, you should always be the one to set an example. I feel so happy because that was the drive I had wanted and I would like to take this opportunity to urge residents of my community to make a wise decision and get vaccinated,” Ferreira urged.
Meanwhile, Lovita DeQuoy, a security officer attached to the company, said, “I took the vaccine because it is the right step to protect myself and others from this virus. Being unvaccinated exposes you tremendously to the virus”.
She further urged the public to take the bold step and get vaccinated, “Since it’s the only means of protecting oneself against this deadly virus”.
KUI has a total of 93 employees and is the only utility company managed by the Hinterland Electrification Company Inc (HECI), which houses several departments under its umbrella, namely: Power Plant, Water Treatment Plant, Kwakwani Television Station, security, building department and plumbing and sanitation.
