No adverse effects of AstraZeneca vaccine reported in Guyana – Health Minister

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony says Guyana will continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine, as there have been no reports of any adverse effects here.  

Guyana received its first batch of the COVAX supplied AstraZeneca vaccine in February, a donation from the Government of Barbados. In March, the Government of India donated 80,000 doses of the vaccine.

“We did not have any cases of blood clotting and we have been monitoring for these cases, so we are very pleased with the results that we have had with these vaccines so far, and we will continue to use them,” Dr. Anthony said, in his COVID-19 update on Thursday. 

The Minister acknowledged that there have been reports of adverse effects in some countries, which have suspended the use of the vaccine and conducted investigations.  However, the World Health Organization (WHO) through the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunisation (SAGE) had reviewed the vaccines.

“They have concluded that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks. We have had a number of other expert entities that have reviewed the vaccine such as the European Medical Regulatory Authority and they concluded similarly that the vaccine, the benefits outweigh the risks,” Dr. Anthony said.

Similar assessments conducted in the United Kingdom, saw the same conclusion.

“The AstraZeneca vaccine is right now, used in many countries and because the benefits outweigh the risk, those countries that have initially put a pause on the vaccines have now restarted, most of them,” he added.

Minister Anthony noted that some countries are reviewing the data, but the choice remains with the individual countries. 

He is encouraging persons who have already received their first dose of the vaccine, to take their second dose.

Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony said the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is important, as the first dose only stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies. He explained that after a while, those antibodies lessen, but with the second dose of antibodies, an individual is better protected from contracting a severe form of the disease.

“The purpose of the vaccine to ensure that you are immunised, your immune system is prime and ready so that when you are exposed to the virus, that it can destroy the virus very quickly,” Dr. Anthony said.

In addition, Dr. Anthony said if a person contracts Covid after taking the first dose of the vaccine, that person must make a full recovery before the second dose is administered.

More than 100,000 persons have so far received their first dose of the vaccine, through the public health system and partnerships with non-governmental and religious organisations.

“We have also partnered with all the private hospitals to work with them, and the Ministry would be providing the vaccines to these private institutions and they in turn, would administer the vaccines to patients, to people who want the vaccine, who feel more comfortable going to a private institution.

Once they have received their vaccines there, the health staff of those hospitals will take the relevant clinical information that we need and they will be able to ensure the card that we are giving to show that people would have received their first dose,” Dr. Anthony said.

This partnership, he noted is working well as Government wants to increase the number of persons visiting the various vaccination sites.