Gov’t assures Pfizer vaccine ‘very effective’

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, MP, is appealing to parents and guardians to allow their adolescent children to be vaccinated against the deadly Coronavirus.

Minister Anthony made the appeal during Thursday’s COVID-19 update, hours before the official launch of the Government’s COVID-19 vaccination programme for adolescents across the country.

“I hope that a lot of people come forward to start getting vaccinated because it’s the first time that we are able now to offer the vaccines for children between 12 and 18. So I really do hope that parents take the opportunity to get their child vaccinated.

As you know we want to open school on the 6th of September, so if you want your child to be safe and protected from Covid, that one way of doing so, apart from taking the regular public health measures, would be to get them vaccinated and we are now offering this vaccine that we will try to roll it out as quickly as possible,” Minister Anthony said.

Following the official launch at St. Stanislaus College, Brickdam, Georgetown, the vaccines will then go to community schools and health centres. The Minister said public announcements will also be made to ensure no one is left out of the process. 

“It’s a very effective vaccine, it works, we have seen that literally millions of people would have received this vaccine and in the children population in the United States, more than 11 million children would have received the vaccine and because they’ve gotten the vaccine, they’re able to continue doing activity in a very safe way. So, I want parents to understand that this vaccine is really protective of your children. And I really want them to encourage their children to get the vaccine.”

Meanwhile, as of Wednesday, some 306,906 persons have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 158,557 persons have been fully vaccinated against the disease.

Minister Anthony reiterated that Guyana is still a far way from achieving herd immunity, noting that it would take the commitment of everyone to change this, by getting vaccinated against the deadly disease.