– probe ongoing, vaccine protocols to be tightened

A SENIOR staff member of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has come under fire for flouting protocols after a city businessman boasted about receiving the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is currently only given to frontline health workers.
On Sunday, the Guyana Chronicle was informed that an investigation was immediately launched into the incident, after the businessman’s social media post was discovered.

“We did confirm that a senior member of staff did make the arrangement for this person to get the vaccine without the staff [who had to administer it] knowing that he [the businessman] wasn’t a member of staff,” GPHC’s Communications Manager, Chelauna Providence told this newspaper.
Previously, this newspaper was told that various heads of department were tasked with collecting the names of staff members who were interested in getting the vaccines meant to immunise against COVID-19. That list is then submitted to the Deputy Head of Medical Services, Dr. Keshant Samaroo, who has oversight for the vaccination rollout at the hospital.

When the health workers go to the vaccination site, they go through a registration and education process. They are given a vaccination card, which is particularly important, since this is a two-dose vaccine and the second dose will be administered at about eight to twelve weeks after the first dose was administered.
Vaccination is not mandatory, but first preference is being given to those frontline health workers who are at a greater risk of contracting the virus. But, it seems as though the system devised at the GPHC is what enabled the senior staff member to include the businessman in the list to receive the first dose of the vaccine.
“Something like this is not what we envisioned would happen… We didn’t really envision that a senior member of staff would go against protocol in such an arrangement,” Providence emphasised.

TIGHTENING PROTOCOLS
The Communications Manager also highlighted that this situation has allowed the hospital to tighten the vaccination administration process. The Guyana Chronicle understands that this could involve making the registration process more formalised for future vaccine distributions.
“We are dealing with the system very sternly and there will be consequences for his actions and the staff member involved,” Providence said, adding: “We don’t want staff to feel disgruntled, we are treating with it sternly.”
Beyond that, it is unclear whether the businessman will still receive the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine that must be given. Though he was not supposed to receive these vaccine doses, he has already been given the first dose and as such, the vaccine could potentially go to waste if he doesn’t get the second ‘jab’.