Persons immunised with Sputnik V can get J&J booster shot

…as 1 more death, 31 new COVID cases recorded

The rollout of booster shots for the population this week will see different combinations of vaccines being used, in order to boost protection against the deadly coronavirus.
Guyana’s immunisation campaign has seen usage of Pfizer, Moderna, Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and J&J vaccines.
Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony informed on Monday that a person immunised with Sputnik V can take the Johnson and Johnson vaccine as their booster dose. Meanwhile, those with Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson, Sinopharm are required to take the same vaccines respectively.
Since Moderna booster shots are unavailable, Pfizer doses can work. For the AstraZeneca-immunised subset, either the same vaccine or Pfizer can be taken.
“This is the regiment that we will be using. Anyone who wants to get their booster can come to any one of our facilities and ask for the booster. We require you to bring your vaccination card so that they write the dosage into the card,” he outlined.
Along with persons 50 years and older, healthcare workers and persons with comorbid conditions are eligible for the booster jab. It can be taken six months after complete immunisation.
In terms of vaccination, 396,042 adults have taken a first dose, accounting for 77.2 per cent. Meanwhile, 269,791 or 52.6 per cent are completely immunised.
Another 28,709 or 34.9 per cent of children have been covered for first doses; with 19,905 or 27.4 per cent taking their second dose.

New cases and death
As of Monday, there was one more reported COVID-19 death in Guyana – an unvaccinated 48-year-old female from Region Four. She died while seeking medical attention, taking the country’s death toll to 977.
Along with deaths, confirmed cases also took a hike to 37,366 with the detection of 31 new cases.
There are nine persons in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 75 in institutional isolation, 1729 in home isolation and two in institutional quarantine. As such, active cases are now down to 1813.
From the 17,598 males and 19,758 females that tested positive, 34,566 have recovered completely. Guyana has conducted 381,997 tests to date.
A breakdown showed one new case in Region One (Barima-Waini), six in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), nine in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), one in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and 14 in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
No increases were reported in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
All Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures, which are in effect until November 30, 2021. This order emphasises the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others; and the need for good hand hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Data from the World Health Organisation shows that there are over 256 million confirmed cases of the disease globally, with over 5.14 million reported deaths. The Americas account for 95.9 million cases and over 2.3 million deaths. (G12)