PRESIDENT Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has described as ‘shameful, reckless and selfish,’ statements made by Opposition Leader Mr. Joseph Harmon that administration of the Sputnik V Vaccines be suspended on the spurious grounds that the Russian vaccines are ‘fake.’ Coming at a time when the current PPP/C administration is doubling up on efforts to roll out its vaccination programme to Guyanese all across the country, such utterances can only be seen as irresponsible, counterproductive and certainly not in the best national interest.

There is a saying that one is entitled to one’s own opinions but not to one’s own facts. Mr. Harmon, without producing one iota of evidence, has deemed the Sputnik V Vaccines ‘fake,’ despite the fact that the vaccine has gone through rigorous tests and is currently being administered in more than 74 countries. Moreover, and perhaps more disturbing, is his call for Guyanese not to take the Sputnik shots.

As pointed out by the Head of State, the government has not taken its responsibility lightly in ensuring that due diligence is being done to ensure that the vaccines are safe and meet the efficacy rates consistent international and industry standards. In fact, the efficacy rate of the Sputnik V Vaccine is over 97 per cent, which compares favourably with any other on the market.

In fact, as indicated by the President, the government has approached every single vaccine developer, manufacturer and country before it was able to procure the vaccines at highly competitive procurement costs. In addition, adequate checks and balances were done to ensure that movement of the drugs is properly monitored and tracked.

It is one thing to try and score political points, but doing so at the expense of the health and well-being of the Guyanese people is not only bad politics, but to a large extent dangerous and risky. Not surprisingly, the stance taken by Mr. Harmon was condemned by a wide cross-section of the Guyanese community, including those from the medical fraternity and the private sector.

The Opposition Leader has some explaining to do, not only to his own supporters, but to the nation as a whole, having regard to the fact that he is the recipient of the same Sputnik V Vaccine from which he now seeks to distance himself. Could this be the case of “do as I say, not as I do?’ Whatever the explanation, it does smack of a high degree of hypocrisy and dishonesty, which does not speak well of him as the leader of a parliamentary opposition party.

The good thing is that Guyanese are much more discerning than Mr. Harmon gives them credit for, and will most likely see through his political ranting for what it is: a smokescreen to score cheap political points. The unfortunate thing is that there are the misguided few who could fall prey to such nonsense and not only put their own lives at risk, but also those of their extended network of family and friends.

It is not too late for Mr. Harmon to retract his statements and urge his party supporters to get vaccinated without further delay. Too much is at stake and any form of procrastination could be costly, if not fatal.

The government is doing its part to make the vaccines available to all, despite budgetary and other logistical constraints. But, as President Ali puts it, there is no cost to protecting the lives of Guyanese. Indeed, when it comes protecting lives, no cost can be too high.

Attempts by the opposition leader to create the impression that  vaccines are procured above available market prices is nothing short of political gimmickry aimed at diverting public attention from the enormous progress made by the current administration to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of throwing, as it were, cold water on the efforts of the government to immunise the full cohort of the Guyanese population, Mr. Harmon is well advised to utilise whatever resources are at his disposal to encourage his supporters to become fully vaccinated.

Guyana, it must be noted, is one of the few countries in the world that have been successful in acquiring enough vaccines to meet the needs of its entire adult population. This is no mean achievement for which the Guyana Government must be commended.