WITH the COVID-19 vaccine expected to be made available to all teachers in the near future, some are very happy that the profession is among the priority list for inoculation. Two weeks ago, the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) issued a joint statement noting that a sensitisation campaign will be conducted to encourage teachers to get vaccinated, since vaccination is not compulsory. “I’m very glad that we are being able to take the vaccine. It is good because we have to encounter thousands of children every day,” commented one teacher, from a secondary school in the city. The teacher, who prefers not to be named, is encouraging teachers to get on board and ensure they are vaccinated, once there are not any risk factors preventing them from doing so.
“The only thing that would stop me from taking the vaccine would be my medical history. But I’m waiting on my doctor to confirm that I can take it and then I will be taking it. I would advise everyone to get it, because we do a lot of things and put a lot of things in our bodies that we don’t know much about or that are unhealthy like alcohol and tobacco, so we shouldn’t be afraid of a vaccine that has been tested and tried all over the world that will only help in the long run,” she said.

Other teachers are hopeful that the roll out of the vaccine for teachers will be able to fast track the reopening of schools. “I think it’s good for those interested and if it is effective school will reopen sooner,” commented one primary school teacher from Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni). Schools in Guyana have been closed for over a year now, and have only been partially re-opened for Grades 10, 11 and 12 a few months now. The schools have remained closed pending advice from the Ministry of Health (MoH) based on how the COVID-19 pandemic in Guyana progresses. Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, received the first dose of her vaccine on Tuesday last at the Burn’s Memorial Presbyterian Church, where she helped to organise a vaccination exercise in collaboration with the Health Ministry.
She is encouraging teachers to not only get the vaccine but to ensure they get the correct information about the vaccines.
Minister Manickchand implored the general population and teachers particularly to inform themselves as much as they can about the issue of vaccination. She said they must read and make informed decisions and not be influenced by “chatter, propaganda and rumors.”

She reminded that the decision to take the vaccine will remain a voluntary one. “Whether they take the vaccine or don’t take the vaccine, that has to remain a personal choice. I took the vaccine because I thought it was a good thing, and, having read everything on the issue and having spoken to people who are in the field of medicine, I thought it best to take it so I could protect my family and the people around me,” the Education Minister shared. A date for the roll out for the vaccination of teachers is yet to be announced. Once available, however, the vaccination option will be open to teachers from both public and private schools. The teachers will be issued with letters from the Ministry of Education in an effort for them to be easily identifiable to health personnel. The government has prioritised the vaccination of medical frontline workers, and persons over 60 years old. Members of Parliament were also included, and several were recently vaccinated. Guyana has thus far received 103,000 doses of the vaccines. As of Friday last, more than 15,000 persons had been vaccinated locally. Guyana’s vaccination rollout is being monitored by a pharmaco-vigilance committee, and vaccination is ongoing in all 10 regions. It is expected that the next group of persons to receive these COVID-19 vaccines would be persons over the age of 50.