No ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach in fighting COVID-19
Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony
Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony

—Health Minister says

IN an effort to encourage more residents of Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice) to take the COVID-19 vaccine and by extension amplify vaccination rates, the local Regional Health Department, on Monday, launched a house-to-house vaccination campaign. Since its launch, Guyana’s Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, has voiced his approval and support for the clever approach. “There are peculiarities in each region, and we don’t want a “one-size-fits-all” campaign. We want the health personnel and other people in the region to customize the response that is more suitable for that region,” the minister stated during his COVID-19 update with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Tuesday.
The Minister noted that due to the demographics in each region, and the challenges specific to those regions, the Ministry of Health, through the regional health authorities, would need to work with residents and members of the community, in order to devise strategies for optimum responses.
From the onset of the vaccination campaign launched by the Health Ministry against COVID-19, Region Ten has continuously recorded the lowest number of persons being vaccinated. Minister Anthony has noted time and again that the region continues to see a ‘lag’ in vaccination rates, due to residents’ hesitancy to take the vaccine.
He noted, however, that he was happy to see more and more community leaders and local authorities making efforts to get residents vaccinated.

“I was very pleased to see that the regional chairman (of Region Ten) made a statement again, pertaining to the vaccine, and that he and others in the region would be working to ensure that people get vaccinated,” Anthony shared. He said the first house-to-house campaign has been somewhat successful, seeing some 53 persons receiving their COVID-19 vaccine. He also stated that the efforts aimed at increasing vaccination numbers will continue from there. “The truth of the matter is that unless people are vaccinated, we would not be able to exit this pandemic. So unless all of us receive the vaccine, and all of them, we would not be safe. So, to get to herd immunity, all of us need to get the vaccine,” the minister concluded.
As of June 14, the vaccination campaign saw approximately 222,373 persons or 45.7% of Guyana’s adult population receiving their first dose and 90,157 persons or 18.5% of the adult population receiving both doses and therefore, becoming fully immunized. The minister urged more persons to play their part in not only putting an end to the pandemic here in Guyana, but in protecting themselves and others, by receiving both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, as one dose would not grant them full immunity against the deadly disease.

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