Replacing COVID vaccine cards will be easier as Health Ministry digitises data

…17 new infections detected in 1 day

The Health Ministry is currently verifying and reconciling its vaccination data to be better able to keep a record of vaccinated persons.
Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Thursday related that data is being collected from a number of vaccination sites for the initiative. He said that during the peak of the vaccination campaign, there were approximately 120 sites, which he noted could have seen a duplication of information.
“So, we are now working that through to make sure that we don’t have any duplications. So, cleaning the data is a very important exercise, and while we are cleaning the data, we are also digitising it, so that if somebody would need a replacement card, it is much easier to be able to go into this electronic database and to know whether this person has been vaccinated or not,” Dr. Anthony noted.
Currently, if a vaccination card has to be replaced, a manual search has to be conducted, which is said to be time-consuming. The upgrades would automate the process.
Since the vaccination campaign began locally and vaccination mandates were put in place, several persons have been placed before the courts for forging vaccination cards. The exercise is being conducted by the Ministry’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Surveillance Unit.
“If we discover any forgery, then we will turn that information over to the Police, so that they can take the relevant actions,” Dr Anthony has cautioned.

New cases
With 17 new cases having been detected on Thursday, confirmed cases on the dashboard moved to 63,107 – a breakdown of which shows 29,059 males and 34,048 females. Deaths have remained at 1224.
Statistics provided by the Ministry showed that there are five patients in the Intensive Care Unit, 182 patients in home isolation, 12 in institutional isolation, and 14 in institutional quarantine. Some 61,684 persons have since recovered from the disease.
A breakdown of new infections showed three were recorded in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); two in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); nine in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); two in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); and one in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
Meanwhile, Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 emergency measures, which emphasise 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.
If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or need any additional information, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline: 231-1166, 226-7480, or 624-6674 immediately, or visit us at www.health.gov.gy