1000 persons vaccinated at COVID-19 drive-through exercise

– another event set for Wednesday

The Ministry of Health will be hosting another COVID-19 vaccination exercise at the Guyana National Stadium on Wednesday, in the wake of the positive public response to Saturday’s inaugural event.

Minister Hon. Dr Frank Anthony said the exercise saw the highest number of vaccinations in one day since the start of immunisation campaign.

During the daily COVID-19 update on Monday, he said there was a constant flow of vehicular traffic from the moment the gates opened at 9am until it closed at 9pm.

The exercise saw 931 persons receiving their first dose of a Covid vaccine, while 140 persons received their second dose.

“I think that people like the idea of being able to drive up in the comfort of your own vehicle. The staff was very proactive in making sure that people felt comfortable; they got the information and they move to the next station and they got their vaccines and they waited for the 15 minutes.

We also were able to accommodate those who wanted to walk in and that went well,” the Minister said.

Persons from the East Bank area, Georgetown and from Region Three capitalised on the opportunity to get inoculated.

Minister Anthony said similar exercises are expected to be rolled out in other regions.

“I know some of the other Regional Health Officers in other regions have been contemplating doing similar or variations of this initiative. I think Region Six, this week, is going to set up a drive by the Berbice River Bridge, so people can go there and get their vaccines…

I think variations of it would certainly happen in different regions and Region Two is also contemplating doing something similar.”

Meanwhile, he said more persons across the country have been turning out for their vaccines.

As of Sunday, 184,394 persons received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This represents approximately 37.9 per cent of the country’s adult population. Some 54,681 persons have received their second doses and are fully immunised, reflecting 11.2 per cent of the adult population.

Minister Anthony said while there has been some reluctance in certain areas, particularly Region Ten, vaccinations are increasing there.

“We have seen an incremental increase and we are now at about 11.3 per cent of the adult population in the Region. So, there’s a marginal increase. Hopefully, we’ll get more people coming out,” he said.

The Ministry is working to increase vaccination coverage in Region 10 through a robust education campaign.

Minister Anthony reiterated the importance of taking the vaccine and encouraged persons to protect themselves from Covid.