Mobile vaccination teams only for hinterland regions – Health Minister

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, said the ministry will this year, be facilitating mobile vaccination teams only in remote areas; however, fixed COVID-19 vaccination sites will remain operational across the country.

The health ministry took an aggressive approach during the pandemic surge last year, to utilise both fixed and mobile vaccination sites to ensure persons were immunised against the deadly disease. 

“W,e’ve taken the decision where we are going to have fixed sites in all the regions so people know these sites are there, they can come anytime and get their vaccines there and, in addition to that, for some of the most geographically challenging regions, we’ll continue to have mobile teams.”

Minister Anthony is encouraging persons to visit any vaccination site and get inoculated with two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine along with a booster at the appropriate time.

Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony said the ministry continues to see an increase in the administration of booster shots.

“On the coast here, we think it’s important that we put fixed sites and publicise where those sites are so that people can come to them…

We have seen a lot of people coming out to get their vaccines, like yesterday for example we had 3, 225 persons who came for vaccines…and of those we had 1, 521 who came for boosters, so people are coming out to get their vaccines and we want to encourage that,” minister Anthony said.

Meanwhile, as of Tuesday, 414, 932 or 80.9 percent of Guyana’s adult population took the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 301, 058 or 58.7 percent are fully immunised.

In terms of children between the ages of 12 to 17, it is recorded that 31, 203 or 42.8 percent received the first dose while 22, 141 or 30.4 percent took both doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

Some 18, 982 persons received booster doses.