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
