— at COVID-19 vaccination drive at MovieTowne

HUNDREDS of children between the ages of 12 and 18 received their first dose of the American-manufactured Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, at the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 vaccination drive at the MovieTowne parking lot, East Coast Demerara (ECD) on Sunday.

Education Minister, Priya Manickchand described the vaccination drive as “incredible”, noting that it marks a momentous occasion for Guyana as a nation as it proves the commitment of parents to protect their children against the deadly effects of the COVID-19 virus.

The Ministry of Health, through the Ministry of Education, on Thursday, began its vaccination campaign of children between the ages of 12 and 18, after receiving a donation of 146,250 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the United States. The Ministry of Health managed to vaccinate 213 students on the first day of the roll out of the Pfizer vaccine.

The Ministry of Health had informed the Education Ministry that to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, all students, ages 12 to 18 years, should be vaccinated before returning to the classrooms. The Ministry of Education, in early August, began sending out consent forms to parents of over 50,000 students in secondary schools.

“The demand is there; we are very happy to see that this is really the only way we can get back to normalcy in the education sector, and if we are to deliver to our children education that would make it effective and make them employable and marketable, knowledgeable productive Guyanese citizens then normalcy is what has to happen with that,” said Minister Manickchand.

Government earmarked the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 18 years. The vaccine, on August 23, 2021, became the first COVID-19 vaccine to receive the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The batch of Pfizer vaccines given to Guyana is part of a donation of 5.5 million doses from the United States Government to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). This donation is intended to lend support to the ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the target group for this vaccination initiative is children who will be returning to school, Minister Manickchand reminded that it is not limited to them. She said all children ages 12 to 18 years, who obtain permission from their parents or legal guardians, would be able to receive the vaccine.

MORE THAN 50 PER CENT OF TEACHERS VACCINATED
Meanwhile, with schools slated for reopening on September 06, 2021, for the new academic school year, Minister Manickchand highlighted that more than 50 per cent of teachers in the public education system have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

“We are very glad that we have more than 50 per cent of our teachers vaccinated, that’s not a number that people know, people have been bashing teachers but the majority of teachers have done the right thing. We expect that in the coming days we will see more teachers getting vaccinated. I think people needed their own time and so on which we understand but are now at the place where school opening is upon us; we have to make the right decisions,” said the Education Minister.

The vaccination rollout for children ages 12 to 18 is expected to continue throughout the coming week. Minister Manickchand noted that the ministry intends to take the vaccine efforts “school to school” to ensure that each child has the opportunity to take a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

She lauded the hundreds of parents who turned out on Sunday and reminded that while parents could choose whether they want their children to be vaccinated, inoculation is the best defence against the deadly effects of COVID-19.

“The quicker we get back to a normal place the quicker we can resume our life and start thriving; right now we’re trying to fend off something. We can fend it off effectively if we are all vaccinated or if enough of us are vaccinated and so this is just the only thing left to do, the sensible thing left to do,” the Education Minister emphasised.