A total of 6,655 adults were able to get the second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, with a total of 9,946 adults and children receiving their ‘COVID’ jabs on that day.
This is according to information provided by the Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony during his daily COVID-19 update on Thursday.
According to the minister, 1,020 adults received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 530 children received their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, in addition to the more than 6,000 second doses administered to adults, 1,732 children received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Importantly, on Wednesday, the rollout of the 50,000 second doses of the Sputnik V vaccines, which arrived on Monday night, commenced. Over the past few months, Guyana had been receiving small, irregular supplies of these second doses. And as such, many people expressed frustration at being unable to get this vaccine for quite some time.
The minister did not state how many of the second doses administered on Wednesday were this Sputnik V vaccine specifically. The News Room, however, visited the vaccination sites at the Ministry of Health compound in Brickdam and at the Georgetown Public hospital, Lamaha Street on Wednesday. There, most of the people who went for their COVID-19 vaccines were there to get the Sputnik second dose.
Similarly, at vaccinated sites in various locations of the country, many people turned up to get their COVID-19 vaccines. While there were scores of persons rushing for this Sputnik V vaccine, the rollout of the vaccines was not without its challenges.
At the Georgetown Public Hospital, there was another long line of people and one man, who did not wish to provide his name, complained that people were not able to receive their jabs in a timely manner and were forced to stand in the hot sun for hours.
Dr. Anthony, however, said: “… although people had to wait, they did so in an orderly way and that facilitated everybody getting their vaccines.”
And, he expressed his hope that there would be a similarly significant turnout for the vaccines in the coming days and weeks.
