Pneumonia injections do not cover COVID-19 – Health Minister warns

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony has clarified that the injections being used for cases of pneumonia do not cover the COVID-19 virus. Only jabs designed specifically for the novel coronavirus will provide protection.
Speaking during the latest briefing on Friday, it was pointed out that the coronavirus infection would cause a viral pneumonia in positive patients but only the COVID-19 vaccine works against the disease. This clarification came amid rumours that the pneumonia injections work against COVID-19.
“Coronavirus is a virus and the way that it operates is that you’ll get infected through your upper respiratory tract, then it goes down into your lung and then in your lung, you have the pulmonary stage. That can result in people having difficulty to breathe. The infection really causes a viral pneumonia. The injections that are given for some form of pneumonia does not cover coronaviruses or this type of disease,” said Dr Anthony.

It was positioned that if a person wants to protect themself, then they need to be administered with a vaccine currently used in the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
“That is why if you want to protect yourself, and to prevent the pneumonias that you would get with the coronavirus, such as the COVID-19 virus, then you get the vaccines that is specially designed against this particular disease.”
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that may be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. The infection causes the air sacs or alveoli to become inflamed and fill up with fluid or pus. That can make it hard for the oxygen you breathe in to get into your bloodstream.
According to the WHO, most people infected with the coronavirus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment.  Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.
Most common symptoms include fever, dry cough and tiredness but can include aches and pains, sore throat, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, headache, loss of taste or smell; and rash on skin, or discoloration of fingers or toes. Severe cases can result in difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure and loss of speech or movement.
In Guyana, a vaccinated person is one who would have received the AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Sinopharm, Sinovac-Corona, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson and Johnson jabs. (G12)