‘Use your influence to save your people’

– Minister Anthony tells Region Eight leaders

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony MP, is appealing to community leaders in Region Eight to encourage residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19, so that their community would faster achieve herd immunity and save lives.

The Minister made this call during a meeting in Monkey Mountain on Tuesday.

Some 38 per cent of the Region’s adult population has taken the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, though less than half of that number has taken their second dose.

The Minister said this figure is quite low for the Region, which could pose significant challenges should any complication requiring further medical assistance arise.

Dr. Anthony said while the residents are resisting inoculation, it is costly for the medical teams to travel to the various communities.

“If you’re going to protect the population in this Region, we have to get people getting both doses that will be closer to 80-85 per cent of the Region’s population. So, we have a far way to go.”

The Health Minister also reminded the leaders that there are variants of the virus such as Delta P.1 and P.2 which has ravaged several countries, including communities in neighbouring Brazil.

“We have to understand that the virus is killing people and so we need to protect ourselves, family and friends…Each of you has connections in your communities and so now you got to use your influence to save your people,” he said.

Minister Anthony stressed that the rumours circulating about the vaccines are myths and he hopes that persons can get the facts and make a decision to get inoculated soon. He also encouraged the people to raise their concerns about the vaccines with health workers.

“Persons don’t want to take the vaccine – that is their personal decision, but when it gets serious is when they’re trying to tell other people not to take it. Because by influencing persons not to take it, what you’re doing is putting that person more at risk.”

Aside from this, Dr. Anthony along with the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall MP, and Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai MP distributed a large quantity of masks and stationery supplies for students and other residents.