Despite the inclement weather on Tuesday morning, scores of people made their way to the Ministry of Health Tarmac on Brickdam, Georgetown, to receive their second dose of the Russian-made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.
After weeks of delayed shipments and global shortages due to the emergence of the more infectious Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – Guyana on Monday received another shipment of the Russian-made vaccine and wasted no time commencing the rollout.
Currently, the Health Ministry’s focus is on those persons who received their first jab in April. That created a slight confusion at the Ministry of Health Tarmac when one woman turned up to get her second jab. The woman, visibly upset, expressed her frustration as she claimed she was not aware of that notice, as she took her first dose after April.
“That ain’t make sense. I didn’t know that they only doing second dose for people who got it in April. They shoulda announce it cause this is madness,” the woman said.
Despite that hiccup, the vaccination process continued smoothly at the site. One businessman, Gewansar Ramsarran, expressed satisfaction at finally receiving his second dose.
“Your health is more important…I was very anxious because I was supposed to come back here on the 26th May just to hear that they do not have but when I saw the notice on Facebook, I come immediately.”
Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, did not divulge how many doses of the Russian vaccine Guyana received, but the News Room was reliably informed that only 5,000 doses were delivered.
Dr Anthony, however, announced that another consignment of the second dose is expected to arrive next week through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) supplier.
Individuals who received their first dose in subsequent weeks will be scheduled for their second dose accordingly, the minister had said.
Sputnik V, unlike the AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines, has a second dose that is different from the first dose. Initially, Guyana had been administering this second dose some four weeks after the first dose, but that has been extended to about 12 weeks.
This is due to information provided by the Gamaleya Research Centre, which developed the Sputnik V vaccine. The centre, in a press statement, said it is possible to increase the minimum interval between the first and second vaccine shots from the earlier approved 21 days up to three months.
