Region One leads hinterland in COVID-19 vaccination

Barima-Waini (Region One) is leading the government’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the hinterland territories.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, said the region, known for its mining activities has so far vaccinated 89.1 percent of its population with a first dose of a vaccine.

“In terms of the interior, we continue to offer vaccination at various sites across the interior and right now in Region One, we have an 89.1 percent coverage for first dose COVID-19 vaccine in adults, second dose coverage would be about 53.9 percent…

In terms of Region Seven, we are at 85.2 percent first dose and for second dose we are at 60.1 percent, in Region Eight we’re at 53 percent for first dose and for second dose we’re at 43.2 percent, Region Nine we are at 77.8 percent first dose and 59.3 percent second dose,” he said.

Minister Anthony added that although the ministry has been engaging in sensitisation programmes in the interior, vaccine hesitancy remains “a concern and a problem.”

“We have been sending out teams to different areas in the interior locations to administer vaccines, but unfortunately some of the villages we’ve gone to, there’s a lot of vaccine hesitancy,” the minister said.

Further, with over $6.8 billion allocated in the 2022 budget for the continuation of Guyana’s COVID-19 vaccination programme, the minister said some of the money will be expended for more vaccination to reach various communities in the interior.

Dr. Anthony said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was considered more convenient in the early phase of the pandemic, since it was deemed a ‘single dose vaccine,’ however with guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) persons are now encouraged to take a second jab.