East Coast residents benefit from vaccination outreach

A number of residents from Annandale and surrounding communities on the East Coast of Demerara on Saturday benefitted from a vaccination outreach to the area.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal affairs, Anil Nandlall, M.P., who has parliamentary responsibility for the East Coast of Demerara, noted that the activity was held in collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Legal Affairs to administer vaccines and booster shots.

“It is important that we continue these public engagements and we continue to encourage our citizens to take the vaccines and to take the booster shots and to make it as convenient as possible for them to have access, to this type of medical care and medical facilities and that is why we are not only doing it in the urban centers alone, but we are travelling to the length and breadth of the country to carry out this exercise as a government,” Minister Nandlall said.

The minister noted that the villages were informed of the vaccination drive through a mobile public address system.

The minister also thanked the staff of the Health Ministry and the Guyana Defence Force who conducted the vaccination exercise.

Advisor to the Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy was also part of the outreach. He noted that Guyana is one of a small group of developing countries that has secured vaccines for all who are eligible.

“We now need to make sure that those who are eligible for their booster shot come. Today’s exercise focuses on the booster shot and clearly from the response that we are seeing, people want their booster shots,” Dr. Ramsammy noted.

DPI spoke with several persons who benefitted from booster shots.

“I’m here to take my booster shot, because the omicron virus is spreading rapidly,” said Rampersaud Sukhu as he urged everyone to get vaccinated.

“Let them come out and take the vaccine, the booster shot or the first dose or second dose, both them a give, y’all come out and take your vaccine, it’s very good,” said Morris Singh.

Sam Gopaul also benefitted and said, “I come here to take this vaccine, the third dose and everything working alright and so, I ain’t feel no pain or whatsoever.”

Even though the outreach mainly focused on booster shots, several persons also took their first and second doses of the various vaccines.

One of the persons who took the vaccine for the first time is Chandradat Chanderpaul.

“The covid spreading more, so that is why meh come tek me first dose, so that mek meh decide fuh come tek meh fuss dose,” Chanderpaul said.

“Now meh can guh places, because you have to get one vaccine card, so that’s why I decide to take my first dose, because you can’t go in GRA and so,” he added.

So far, approximately 81 percent of the population have taken the first dose of a vaccine while 59 percent have taken the second dose.

With the spike in Covid-19 cases, there has been an increase in vaccine uptake recently.