‘No resource will be spared’ in securing Covid vaccines for the nation
-President Ali tells 12th Parliament
His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has assured Guyanese that his Government is working diligently to ensure that the nation is inoculated against COVID-19 by the end of the year.
The President made this announcement in his inaugural address at the 18th Sitting of the National Assembly of the 12th Parliament on Thursday.
“Whilst we continue our fight to contain the virus, we are aggressively pursuing every avenue that will lead to the complete vaccination of our population by the end of the year. I assure you, no resource will be spared in this effort,” he said.
The President said tackling COVID-19 is Government’s most urgent priority, especially since Guyana has recorded over 8,000 positive cases and has lost 181 lives to the disease.
“But it is as a public health emergency that the silent cruelty of this fearsome disease has been most brutal. The consequence is that, so far, we have endured the anguish of 8,023 confirmed cases and suffered the loss of 181 lives.
All of those lives mattered. Some of them would have been the sole breadwinners in families now left to struggle, not only with the pain of their loss, but with the strain of their livelihood,” he said.
President Ali recalled that the Government took firm action to stem transmission of the disease, mobilising regional, national and international support while also buttressing livelihoods.
“With direct cash and food transfers, we also implemented various measures through the Central Bank to help small and medium-size businesses in particular, to cope with the economic fallout of the pandemic.
“We supported frontline workers, our children’s education and created an innovate environment for the economy and governance system to continue,” he said.
The President noted that Covid has stymied the economy, substantially reducing the projected growth in the gross domestic product forecast by the international financial institutions for this year. The situation demanded the Government’s immediate attention and robust action.
President Ali said he understands the hardships that the pandemic has brought on the most vulnerable sections of our society, the elderly, single mothers and children and his Government would move decisively to improve their lives. “I assure you no resources will be spared in this effort.”
On Wednesday, Guyana received a donation of 3,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine COVISHIELD, from Barbados. One hundred doses were given to the CARICOM Secretariat and the remaining 1,400 are for frontline workers.
Through the COVAX mechanism, Guyana will receive 104,000 vaccines. The Chinese Government has also committed to donating 20,000 of its Sinopharm vaccines to Guyana’s Covid fight.
The Government has also brokered a deal with the CARICOM-African Union to purchase a quantity of COVID-19 vaccines, and based on the population, Guyana is expected to receive at least 140,000 doses.
Recently, Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony, told DPI that Government was also in talks with other manufacturers of vaccines in India and Russia to acquire more vaccines for the nation. He said the required documentation have already been submitted to both countries, and the Ministry is awaiting formal responses.