AS of Tuesday, June 15, some 223,659 adults have received the first dose of the Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, or Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, accounting for approximately 45.9 per cent of Guyana’s adult population. Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, who made the revelation during his COVID-19 update with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Wednesday, said some 92,157 persons have also received their second dose of the vaccine which is equivalent to about 18.9 per cent of the adult population.
He noted that the three vaccines currently available in Guyana are highly effective. “The vaccines that we currently have in Guyana, and those that are… I would say globally, they are all very good vaccines. They work, they’re effective, they’re safe, and as of this week, the WHO would have said about 2.2 billion persons would have received vaccines. So, we know that these vaccines are working,” Anthony said. He reminded persons that receiving only one dose of the vaccine would not fully immunise them against the virus, and highlighted that there have been no recorded hospitalisations or deaths in persons who have received both doses of the vaccine. “So if there’s any proof that you’d like to have, in a sense, here is the proof that this is working. Because none of those persons have come to the hospital, or died from COVID. So, it’s very clear, if you take both doses of the vaccine, you are going to be protected. And that is what we want people to be; safe and protected,” he continued. He also urged everyone who has received their first dose to ensure they receive the second dose. He called on all adult Guyanese to take the vaccine if they have not done so.