Moderna vaccines for Canadian High Commission; 12,000 Sinopharm doses arrive

A quantity of the US-made Moderna COVID-19 vaccines was ordered for staff and some contractors of the Canadian High Commission in Georgetown.

This was confirmed on Saturday by Roberta Ferguson, who is the Public Affairs Officer at the High Commission.

On Saturday morning, the Department of Public Information (DPI) announced, via its Facebook page, that a quantity of the Moderna vaccines had arrived at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). The vaccines were brought by Amerijet airlines. No additional details were provided and that post was subsequently removed.

The News Room, however, engaged Ferguson who confirmed that a quantity of the Moderna vaccines are expected but she could not confirm whether the vaccines that arrived on Saturday morning were for the Canadian High Commission.

Meanwhile, on Saturday morning also, the remaining 12,000 doses of the 100,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine purchased by the Government of Guyana arrived at the CJIA on a Caribbean Airlines flight.

“One of the advantages with this (Sinopharm) vaccine is that it does not require the ultra-cold storage or the really cold storage… These are vaccines that can be stored from 2 to 8 degrees (Celcius) and we are very happy because it allows us to move them to remote areas as well,” Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony said on Thursday.