THE 19-member National COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force headed by Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony got down to business on Friday, as the body met for the first time and began discussing the roll-out of the vaccines in a few months’ time. According to a release from the Ministry of Health, the “broad-based” Task Force includes representatives from several departments in the Ministry of Health, the National COVID-19 Task Force, other government agencies and the private sector. The ministry said that this team of experts will meet every Friday to discuss the strategic implementation plan to monitor the roll-out of a safe, effective and efficient vaccination programme. “We want to ensure that we are prepared for the roll out of vaccines, and so they (the Task Force) will be looking at our preparedness and working on a vaccine preparedness and roll- out plan, then of course, ensuring that all the sites where vaccines will be administered are ready,” the minister was quoted as saying.

He added: “They will have to ensure that all the elements regarding the use of vaccines will be in place. I would imagine that from the Vaccines Task Force, we will have several sub-committees that would be carrying out specific tasks.” This Task Force will inform the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) on the evolving vaccination situation. Already, Minister Anthony has indicated that efforts have been made to create a draft training manual on how to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. The procurement process for cold-storage facilities and distribution has already begun. These are both important activities because the COVID-19 vaccines are unique. On one hand, they will be administered to adults, starting first with healthcare workers and elderly persons with comorbidities (which puts them at greater risk of contracting COVID-19). This is a departure from the focus of Guyana’s vaccination system, through which vaccines are administered to children.

COLDER-THAN-NORMAL STORAGE FACILITIES

Additionally, some of the COVID-19 vaccines require colder-than-normal storage facilities. Though Guyana does not yet know which of the vaccines it will receive, Dr. Anthony indicated that the country would have the appropriate cold-chain and ultra-cold chain infrastructure to accommodate any vaccine. This first meeting was held in the boardroom of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The members appointed include: Minister of Health and Chairman of the Task Force, Dr. Frank Anthony; Adviser to the Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy; Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Narine Singh; Director-General of Regional Health Services, Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo; Director of Primary Health Care Services, Dr. Ertenisa Hamilton; Deputy Director of Regional Health Services, Dr. Veronica Griffith; Director of the Surveillance Unit, Sasha Walrond; and, Officer in Charge of Health Communications, Shabana Shaw.
The Cold Chain Technician is John Ramotar, while the Pharmacy representation is made by Dr. Karishma Jeeboo. It was noted that immunology expertise will be sourced externally when needed.

Additionally, there are representatives from various agencies and organisations, including: Director of the Food & Drug Analyst Department, Dr. Marlan Cole; a representative from the Joint Services, Clifton Hicken; representative from the Guyana Revenue Authority, Lance Wills; representative from the Pan-American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), Dr. Luis Codina; and representative from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Irfan Akhtar. Dr. Malika Mootoo is representing the private health sector while Joann Bond and Prema Roopnarine are representing the Attorney General’s office and the Ministry of Local Government, respectively.

“In making the appointments, Dr. Anthony explained that a deliberate decision was taken to appoint members who possess specific skill sets, as would be required for any national immunisation programme in general, but more importantly having regard to the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic in particular,” the ministry’s release noted.
“The members are public service professionals who are familiar with immunisation programmes, cold-storage operations and medical supply chains, as well as private sector representatives who have been trained in vaccination campaigns and who understand the expectations, thereby representing a diverse blend of people who have the required expertise and commitment to this national effort in response to COVID-19,” he said in the release.