Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony is again urging the more than 9,000 people who were infected with HIV/AIDS to take a Covid-19 vaccine to protect themselves.
Dr. Anthony made the call Wednesday, as Guyana joins the rest of the world in celebration of World AIDS Day, 2021.
The Health Minister reassured that the vaccine is safe for HIV/AIDS victims.
“It is quite safe. Globally, persons have been encouraged to get vaccinated, and so far, those persons who have been vaccinated, it has been very protective for these patients. So, I would really encourage people to get vaccinated,” the Minister said.
He said the vaccination uptake for that population has been difficult, but he is hopeful that persons would realise the importance of taking the vaccine.
“This has been a challenge because of these 9,000 or so patients that we have. I think there’s a myth within the HIV community that they shouldn’t be vaccinated and unfortunately, we have to work to dispel that myth. Because like with everybody else, if you have an underlying illness, then you should get immunised against COVID,” the Minister said.
To target such issues, the minister said a number of special programmes are on stream.
“We have funded a number of informational sessions through the Global Fund with key population groups. So, we have been having sessions with MSMs, with sex workers, transgender persons and so forth. So, we went to the key population groups and we’ve had informational sessions and encouraging them to make sure that they get vaccinated, but their uptake is still not where it should be,” he said.
Minister Anthony noted that the components of the vaccines will in no way interfere with the medications victims are currently taking. He said that even with the pandemic, much effort was made to keep the HIV/AIDS clinics open so that patients could access treatment.
“We have also changed the way that we dispense medication, because in the past a patient would be required to come to clinic at least every month. Now what we have been able to do is to give them a longer time period. So instead of a monthly visit to the clinic, they get medication for at least three months. We have also introduced some new innovations and that is to help to reduce persons who might be at risk for HIV,” he said.
Among the new innovations, the Minister said, is a comprehensive PREP (Pre- exposure prophylaxis) programme, which caters for persons who believe they are at risk for HIV. Those persons, the minister explained could go to clinics for assessment. Once found to be eligible, they will be given medication to protect them from infection.
The Ministry will also be introducing the self-testing programme for HIV and other STDs in the new year.
Meanwhile, as of Tuesday, 401,445 persons received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, which is approximately 78.3 per cent of the country’s adult population. Some 279,658 persons have received a second dose, which is 54.5 per cent of the adult population.
For the 12 to 17 age category, 29,256 or 40.1 per cent of the country’s adolescents took the first dose, while 20,473 or 28.1 per cent of that age cohort are fully inoculated.
