Min. Manickchand pleads with parents to get children vaccinated against COVID-19

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, MP, is pleading with parents to ensure their children are immunised against COVID-19, as government works to have secondary schools return to face-to-face learning.

The education minister told DPI today that the vaccination campaign for adolescents is seeing a large turnout. However, she noted that the process is still slow.

“I’m calling on parents I am pleading with you, I’m begging you. This is the one thing that could keep your children safe. This is the one way that all the scientists in the world, all the doctors in the world are saying to us, this is the one way we could keep these kids safe. We went to a lot of effort to get these vaccines, it’s the only vaccine in the world approved for children, except for a vaccine from Cuba, which we don’t have access to as yet and, I’m asking parents to make use of this opportunity,” Minister Manickchand urged.

To date, 24, 194 adolescents or 33.2 per cent of the population between the ages of 12 and 17 have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Last month, Guyana received 146,250 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the United States Government to be used in the country’s immunisation campaign for children. Next week, another 100, 000 doses will be received from the COVAX facility.

With schools being physically closed for a number of months, the Government of Guyana is sparing no efforts in ensuring that doors are safely re-opened for face-to-face engagement. The education minister disclosed that discussions will be held at the Cabinet level to discuss the way forward.

“We’ll get input from the Ministry of Health, and other ministries, local government, education, everybody, and a decision will be made there about how we will reopen face to face for secondary schools.”

Minister Manickchand noted that some schools have already indicated the desire to return to face-to-face engagements, as the majority of the school population has been vaccinated against COVID-19.