Vaccination sites to be established within communities
…as US donates tents to vaccination programme
In ongoing efforts to ramp-up up the country’s immunisation numbers, COVID-19 vaccination sites are to be established within communities across the country.
The United States Agency for International Development/ Eastern and Southern Caribbean donated ten tents to the Health Ministry to support community COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The tents are part of USAID’s vaccine assistance programme through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The handover ceremony was attended by Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, UNICEF Country Representative to Guyana and Suriname, Nicolas Pron, and U.S. Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch.
United States Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, Regional Representative attached to the United States Embassy Mike Clinton White; UNICEF Representative Nicholas Pron, and Director of Family and Primary Health Care Services of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Dr Ertensia Hamilton
Ambassador Lynch lauded the efforts and the leadership of the Government of Guyana and the Health Ministry in taking vaccination into communities.
“I commend the Government of Guyana and the Ministry of Health for their efforts to make vaccines accessible within communities. We believe that these community campaigns will increase demand, enhance access, and reduce missed opportunities for vaccinations,” Lynch said.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has extended his gratitude to the US Government and UNICEF for their partnership and support in Guyana’s COVID-19 response. Dr Anthony said the tents will be used to provide comfortable accommodation for persons visiting the COVID-19 vaccination sites across the regions. He reminded of the importance of being vaccinated to flatten the COVID-19 curve.
The United States Government has been a major contributor to the COVAX vaccine distribution system, which has donated 266,220 COVID-19 vaccines to Guyana, and another 143,250 Pfizer vaccines were donated directly from the United States.
