The Rotary Club of Demerara (RCD) recently collaborated with the Ministry of Health and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to provide COVID-19 vaccines and aid to the Region 10 communities of Muritaro and Malali.
In a statement, the Rotary Club said apart from the vaccines, informational materials, clothing packages and food hampers were provided to residents in the villages.
President of the Rotary Club of Demerara, Bhageshwar Murli indicated that Rotary International has played a key role in the fight against Polio throughout the world through its vaccination work, and noted that using established Polio vaccination relief infrastructure to provide COVID-19 vaccination relief felt like a natural evolution.
The RCD undertook to coordinate this exercise and assisted representatives with the Ministry of Health in the documentation and delivery of Astra-Zeneca and Sinopharm vaccines to the villages, the Club stated.
Rotary and the Ministry of Health representatives addressed concerns about the side effects and contents of the vaccines.
The RCD said it expressed gratitude to the Toshaos of Muritaro, Ms. Loretta Fiedtkou and Malali, Mr. Orlayne Williams, who were both recipients of the vaccine and set an example for residents in their villages to emulate.
The Club also thanked Dwight John, REO of Region 10, for providing assistance with the boats to get the teams into these villages, as well as Dr. Hamilton from the COVID-19 Vaccination Team at the Ministry of Health.
The Rotary Club said the exercise was in support of one of Rotary’s Seven Areas of Focus: Fighting Disease.
Coupled with the RCD’s 27-year history of medical outreaches in outlying and interior regions in Guyana as well as the work the Club has done over the last year to assist with COVID-19 relief, the Club said it is uniquely poised to be a key player in this vaccination drive.
Coordinator of the exercise, Rotarian Lancelot Khan, also underscored the importance of efficiently utilising resources during the pandemic, and noted that in this case, the RCD was able to act as the link to simultaneously provide sensitisation and medical assistance from the Ministry of Health, hampers from the Civil Defence Commission, and clothing and household items from Rotarians to these communities.
The RCD said similar exercises will continue in other remote villages in the upcoming weeks.
