–President Ali urges Guyanese

WITH 75 deaths already recorded for this month, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has urged all eligible Guyanese to get vaccinated and continue adhering to the COVID-19 safety measures, so that the rates of infection and mortality can be mitigated.
“Like every other country in the world, we are fighting an unseen, but ever-present enemy in the COVID-19 pandemic,” President Ali said, while addressing the nation on the eve of Guyana’s 55th Independence Anniversary, Tuesday night.
In response to this pandemic, he highlighted that the government has been sparing no expense in securing enough vaccines to ensure that the entire population, aged 18 years and older, can be vaccinated.

It was recently reported that Guyana has secured enough vaccines to immunise its entire adult population against COVID-19. This, the President said, is significant because developing countries around the world have encountered difficulties in securing adequate vaccine supplies.
Already, Guyana has vaccinated about 20 per cent of its population and the President reasoned that returning to a semblance of normalcy is contingent upon the population getting vaccinated. And the President assured Guyanese that vaccines save lives since, for a number of years, the local health authorities have immunised Guyanese against a number of diseases including measles, mumps, typhoid, polio, yellow fever, meningitis, hepatitis, and other communicable diseases.
Still, Guyana now has an overall death toll of 374 while more than 16,000 people have been infected with COVID-19.
“We mourn those deaths and sympathise with the families who have lost loved ones,” the President said, adding: “I plead with all to help stop these deaths; stop the tears of anguish; stop the grief.”

To help mitigate the spread of the disease, President Ali said that active participation of people is required, especially in relation to observing the protective measures which include wearing masks, physical distancing, hand-washing and using sanitisers.
Recently, amid the significant increase in efforts to enforce the COVID-19 guidelines instituted to help keep the population safe, the President chastised those persons who continue to breach these measures and those who have made light of the enforcement efforts.
On Tuesday night, he, once again, called on Guyanese to protect themselves against the virus. He also assured the nation that the government would facilitate investments to improve the healthcare sector, as part of efforts to provide high-quality medical care to all.