Tremendous response to COVID-19 vaccination

Guyana is seeing “tremendous response” to its COVID-19 vaccination programme, Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, revealed on Wednesday, noting that to date, a total of 67, 524 citizens have received their first dose of the Sinopharm, Sputnik V or AstraZeneca vaccine.

According to the Health Minister, the improvement in vaccination is due to the increase in the awareness and education campaign.

“What we are trying to do is to work with different community groups in dispelling whatever myths they have and to try to get people to come out to the immunisation centres,” Dr Anthony said.

He explained that in some instances, health workers have moved away from some of the fixed vaccination sites to visit communities and “I think that is working, so we will see improvement in those areas.”

In a Facebook post, Advisor to the Ministry of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy said by the end of this week, Guyana will have enough vaccines to provide 156,000 persons with their first dose.

Furthermore, with more vaccines arriving in the following weeks this number is projected to increase to 261, 000.

Meanwhile, Dr Anthony said that the ministry is working with various community groups to assist in dispelling rumors and myths about taking the vaccine. Currently, an assessment is ongoing in communities along the Berbice River to determine the population to begin rolling out vaccines.

Health workers are also constantly being trained to better understand how the vaccine works, Dr Anthony said, while noting that a major challenge globally is misinformation on the vaccines.

“We have to be careful and we have to analyze for ourselves what is the best information, the source of that information and to make sure we then use the right set of guidance to inform ourselves of our decision,” Dr Anthony said.

Guyana is expecting a third batch of the Sputnik V vaccines on Thursday. Already 55,000 doses were received after Guyana purchased some 200,000 doses at a total cost of US$4M from Russia.

The Sputnik V vaccine, like its Chinese counterpart, has a 28-day wait period for the second dose to be administered; the AstraZeneca vaccine, on the other hand, requires a three-month dosage interval.

Below is a list of fixed vaccination sites across the country;

The fixed sites for COVID-19 vaccination are:

Region 1       

Mabaruma Regional Hospital

Port Kaituma District Hospital

Matthew’s Ridge Hospital

Waramuri Health Centre

Manawarin Health Centre

Kumaka District Hospital

Kwebanna Health Centre

Region 2

Suddie Regional Hospital

Charity Hospital

Anna Regina Health Centre

Supernaam Health Centre

Hust Diren Health Centre

Queenstown Health Centre

Oscar Joseph Hospital

Region 3       

Parika Health Centre

Goed Intent Health Centre

Versailles Health Centre

Den Amstel Health  Centre

West Demerara Hospital

Region 4       

Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC )

Enmore Polyclinic

Diamond Diagnostic Centre

Vaccination Centre (Brickdam)

Unity Health Centre

Clonbrook Health Centre

Herstelling Health Centre

Melanie Health Centre

BV Health Centre

Lusignan Health Centre

Eccles Health Centre

Soesdyke  Health Centre

Private Hospitals

Davis Memorial Hospital

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital

Woodlands Hospital

Region 5       

Fort Wellington District Hospital

Bushlot Health Centre

Mahicony Health Centre

High Dam Health Centre

Rosignol Health Centre

Region 6       

New Amsterdam Hospital

Skeldon Hospital

No. 47 Village Health Centre

Port Mourant Health Centre

Bothers Health Centre

Region 7       

Bartica Health Centre

Region 8

Mahdia Hospital

Kato (Rovering Team)

Region 9       

Lethem Hospital

Annai Health Centre

Aishalton Hospital

Sandcreek Health Centre

Region 10     

Linden  Hospital

Kwakwani Health Centre

One Mile Health Centre

Amelia’s Ward Health Centre