At least 20 per cent of the adult population in Guyana are still unvaccinated, while immunisation of the 12 to 17 age cohort is lagging.
This is according to Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony during today’s COVID-19 update.
He said that while vaccination figures have gone up slightly due to more persons returning for either their second dose or booster shots, there is still a large portion of adults who are yet to take a COVID vaccine.
“So, we’re seeing more people coming for the booster [shots], which is a good thing. But there is still a lot of people who are unvaccinated, meaning, that they have not gotten a single dose as yet. That’s approximately 20% of our adult population since remains unvaccinated,” the Health Minister said.
Recent vaccination figures show that some 413,376 persons or 80.6% of the adult population have received a first dose, while 298,954 or 58.3% of them are fully vaccinated with both doses.
“So, with adults we still have a lot of people who need to come in for their first dose, and for those who received their first dose, there are still a lot of people who need to come back to get a second dose,” Dr Anthony added.
Meanwhile, the slight increase in the administration of booster doses has resulted in the figures climbing to 15,396.
With regards to the adolescent age group, that is, 12 to 17, the Health Minister disclosed that some 30,829 or 42.3% have received a first dose and of that amount, 21,957 or 30.1% are fully immunised.
Guyana started vaccinating this age cohort in September last year and with schools reopening this week for full classroom learning for most levels, Dr Anthony is encouraging that more students to get their vaccinates in order to protect themselves and others especially during this rapid rise of cases.
“There are lots of students who are going back to school who remain unvaccinated and if you want to stay safe in school, one of the best ways of doing so is to ensure that you get your vaccination. So there is a lot of room here for improvement; and we really need parents, and teachers, and the students themselves to go out and get vaccinated,” the minister noted.
Meanwhile, the Guyana government is working on sourcing vaccines for the 5 to 11 age groups.
The reopening of schools on Monday has sparked concerns with the A Partnership for National Unit/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Opposition also criticising the move especially with the surge of COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant.
But President Dr Irfaan Ali has defended the decision, saying on Wednesday that data emanating from countries around the world, show that they have kept their education system opened despite this new surge of infections caused by the omicron variant.
“We have seen all the data so far, and most countries – almost all the countries – are saying we cannot close the schools. We cannot close the education system. They are keeping the schools open. They are doing the testing and taking the precautions, they are encouraging the wearing of masks,” he said, noting that the same being done in Guyana.
But Opposition Member of Parliament, Dr Nicolette Henry, on Thursday expressed disappointment over what she described as the “unorganised” reopening of schools in Guyana.
But the Education Minister as well as subject minister, Priya Manickchand have refuted this, saying that systems are in place at public schools to ensure students as well as teachers adhere to the necessary COVID protocols including wearing masks, sanitizing and social distancing.
