“Political mischief” obstructing Guyana’s progress to herd immunity – President Ali

…says to date 69% adult population partially immunised, 36% fully immunised

Government’s steadfast actions to make COVID-19 vaccines available to the population and the vision to achieve herd immunity are being hampered by political mischief, plotted with the intention of thwarting the progress made thus far.
President Irfaan Ali cited this challenge during the Global COVID-19 Summit: Ending the Pandemic and Building Back Better to Prepare for the Next, hosted by United States President Joe Biden.

In his address, the Guyanese Leader expressed that his administration had explored all avenues and injected significant resources, both capital and human, to tackle the pandemic. However, political mischief has been deployed to derail the vaccination campaign.
“Guyana has spared no effort and vaccines for its eligible population. To date, 69 per cent of the country’s adult population is partially immunised and 36 per cent immunised…However, vaccine hesitancy and its manipulation for the purposes of political mischief are conspiring to hobble our movement towards herd immunity,” Ali noted.
A few months ago, the Head of State cautioned the population to beware of actions that drive ‘political selfishness’ after Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon came out to say that the Sputnik V vaccines were ‘fake’.
That remark was debunked by Ali, who assured that the legitimacy of the Sputnik V vaccines currently used in Guyana can be authenticated using the batch number to correspond with that of the manufacturer’s data. He thereby quashed any conclusion as to whether the vaccine was fake.
In a recorded message, he had expressed, “We have tried every single measure, and for Mr Harmon to try to discredit these efforts, for Mr Harmon to now try to dissuade Guyanese at this important public health juncture of our country, is reckless and shameful.”
President Ali had contended that the Opposition Leader’s remarks were not in the interest of the Guyanese people, and came at a time when Government is exploring all measures necessary to vaccinate the entire adult population. Moreover, Harmon was immunised with the Russian-made vaccine which he alleged was fake.
“I’m sure if one were to examine the statement by Mr Harmon in relation to the Sputnik vaccines, dissuading Guyanese from taking the Sputnik vaccines, you would find it to be self-serving, shamefully reckless, and against the interest of Guyana and Guyanese. This is a man who shamefully tried to steal an election a few months ago. This is a man who himself took the Sputnik vaccine. There is a limit to one’s selfishness. In this case, the limit must be to issue a statement that put the lives of Guyanese families and communities at risk,” the President was quoted as saying.
After much backlash from various sections of society and officials, the Opposition Leader withdrew his statements.
Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has also been urging people to make wise choices by taking the vaccine to protecting themselves, having identified cases where politicians have been influencing people not to do so.
“We also have some political persons who are creating mischief, sowing confusion amongst people who are hesitant, and that’s very unfortunate, because many of these political activists who are sowing that type of confusion, many of them are already vaccinated…So, they have taken the vaccine, however, now they are encouraging people not to take the vaccine. That’s a very irresponsible thing to do, because you’re now putting other people at risk by the way you’re talking about the vaccine, creating confusion, creating hesitancy, and that’s very irresponsible,” the Minister said last month.

Preparation
Meanwhile, President Ali told the summit that the safety of citizens is paramount, as he recognised several policy moves that were initiated to prepare for vaccination.
“In response to the pandemic, Guyana designated the safety of our people as paramount, even as we instituted policies to prevent the collapse of the economy. As we awaited development of, and access to, a vaccine, my Government prepared a National Immunisation Plan which included adding cold storage capacity, training of medical personnel to administer vaccines, and developing a formal co-vigilance system to monitor for possible adverse side effects,” he said.
He also recognised the setback facing developing countries like Guyana, and maintained that uneven access would hamper holistic economic recovery in the world.
The President appealed, “Developing countries have suffered a contraction of growth, massive job losses, closure of many small businesses, and the imperiling of key sectors. Disruption to global supply chains and logistics are increasing import costs, and consequently the cost of living…Unless the inequalities in the global economy are addressed and the problems of developing states are particularised in this process, the legacy of the pandemic will frustrate developing countries’ recovery and the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals.”