Regions encouraged to tailor COVID-19 campaigns for efficacy

-over 45.7% of population took their first doses

-Min Anthony

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony is encouraging administrative regions across Guyana to tailor their COVID-19 vaccination campaigns to suit their specific needs.

During Tuesday’s COVID-19 update, the Minister said he supports the efforts of the various regions in ensuring persons receive their jabs. Dr. Anthony noted that the house-to-house vaccination campaign conducted by the Upper Demerara-Berbice (Region 10), has resulted in an increase in vaccinations.  

“Region 10 has been from the onset, lagging in terms of the number of persons who have received their vaccines and I am happy that more and more, that the community leaders are now talking about getting people vaccinated.

I was very pleased to see that the Regional Chairman made a statement again, pertaining to vaccine that he and others in the Region will be working to ensure that people get vaccinated,” Minister Anthony said.  

He said each Region is unique and must be dealt with accordingly for an effective outcome.

“Each region, there is peculiarities in those regions and we don’t want a one-size-fit all campaign. We want the health personnel and other people in the Region to customise their response that is most suitable to that Region.

In Region Eight for example, they have challenges with the terrain; Region Seven, right now, because of the floods, they have challenges in the Upper Mazaruni. So, different regions will have different challenges,” Dr. Anthony said.

The Health Minister said the idea is to work with the people on the ground who have more local knowledge and information, and can contribute effectively to the campaign.

“If we work with the communities, we could get the best and optimum response.”

In the meantime, several regions will also host COVID-19 drive-through campaigns. Minister Anthony appealed to persons who have not yet taken their second dose of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Sinopharm vaccine to do so as they vaccines are available.  

To date, 222,370 persons over 18 years old have taken their first COVID-19 vaccine, with those fully vaccinated totalling over 90,000.