We must be smarter and more inclusive in our fight against COVID-19

Dear Editor,
While medical professionals stare down round two of our COVID nightmare, the arrival of a vaccine in Guyana is like the bright star on top of our Christmas trees this holiday season.
Indeed, it is a beacon of hope for so many whose loved ones have been seriously afflicted by the disease, or who have cared for these patients for the past nine months. It is imperative, then, that we learn from the bumps in the road that occurred with testing roll-outs earlier this year.
When negative national headlines surrounded communities in local regions that suffered the most – where the consequences of socioeconomic disparities created a horrific storm of disease transmission – our Government was on its heels instead of on its toes when attempting to right the course.
We need to proactively adjust the sails this time around, in order to be highly effective in creating buy-in for the vaccine’s use and distribution in our very diverse communities. This is particularly a challenge in rural core areas and hinterland neighbourhoods where the Indigenous population is large, and that challenge would be exacerbated when we have to adjust to their need and hope they understand the full scope of COVID or why there was such a big deal when it hit those communities.
In order to have better outcomes, we need to go the extra mile in different communities of our regions with digital video communications, mailers, and multilingual media entities to reach those we didn’t metaphorically capture in the pandemic period. Further, effective communication also includes having the right messenger.
In some communities, there may not be an influential Government official. Indeed, the cultural aspects of medicine are often overlooked in the midst of a pandemic, when time is of the essence. Yet, revered religious leaders or well-known community organisers might be the best persons to connect with marginalised communities and work through cultural hesitation towards medical treatments.
As we look to undertake mass vaccination operations, it would be good to immediately start connecting with those influencers of faith in our communities – some may even be social organisations – to create a more cohesive and effective community response.
Government needs to engage and empower other community leaders, and here I can speak for Region 10, where we have our Regional Executive Officer (REO) Mr D John, our Regional Health Officer (RHO) Dr G Harris, and the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Linden Hospital Complex already leading the fight against COVID-19.
Our Government must support these leaders by giving them the opportunity to perform their jobs based on the dynamics of our region’s requirements, and not act as though Government alone has the right answers. We all can agree that 2020 was a year of challenges, including many that would stick around in 2021. Yet, as we enter the new year, we should vow to be smarter and more inclusive in our approach to beating the COVID-19 pandemic, so as to ensure we lift up everyone in our communities, both rich and poor, and take them across the finish line.

Sincerely,
David Adams