APNU/AFC ‘ready to work’ with Govt in its fight against COVID-19 – Dr Cummings

…says ‘sensible’ thing is to get vaccinated before holidays

The A Partnership For National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition on Friday reiterated that it stands willing to assist the Government in its COVID-19 response by working collectively to increase vaccination coverage.

Shadow Health Minister Dr Karen Cummings related that her party is ready to work with the Irfaan Ali-led Administration in identifying constraints, educating the public, and spreading awareness on the importance of immunisation.
“The APNU/AFC coalition members are ready to help the citizens through this difficult time, and we stand ready to work with the regime to denounce complacency, identify constraints, and to help in building the confidence of the populace. Of course, we want to work collectively, share the responsibility, so that we can bring this pandemic to an end,” Dr Cummings outlined.
She pointed out that, as the Christmas season approaches, infections and deaths may surge due to increased activities. Guyanese have been cautioned to get immunised and take the booster shots currently being offered by the Health Ministry.
“With Christmas approaching, one may see a surge in cases and deaths. Hence, the onus will be for the unvaccinated to get vaccinated, and for the vaccinated to get booster shots to boost his or her immunity. It has been now proffered that although children generally have a robust immune system, the science and data indicate that children are usually asymptomatic, and can transmit the virus,” she said.
Accordingly, the Member of Parliament calls on the Joint Services to educate the public during campaigns, while at the same time she urged citizens to fact-check information before being misled by social media.
“We have to keep educating all the time. There are some persons that would understand right away, and some persons that we would have to have some more patience with them. Our Police, soldiers, law enforcement, I call on them to educate and explain to (the people) the importance of having reputable information and not to follow everything on social media without checking it out to clear their doubts; to encourage the populace to get vaccinated and take their booster shots,” the coalition MP expressed.
Earlier this month, Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon pledged to support Government’s COVID-19 vaccination drive, which is being rolled out across the country. This was his position after the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry Limited (GCCI) facilitated a meeting to discuss support from the Opposition Leader office for the National Vaccination Drive.
The APNU/AFC Opposition has been critical of Government’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign, which was launched back in February. In fact, back in June, Harmon had come under fire after questioning the authenticity of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine – the same jab that he took. However, he subsequently reversed his position, saying that he was only concerned about the handling of the vaccines by the third-party source from whom Guyana sourced the jab.
To immunise the population, Guyana is using AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Sputnik V, Johnson and Johnson, and Pfizer as part of its vaccination campaign. At present, over 52 per cent of the population has been completely immunised, and efforts are continuing to achieve herd immunity.