Young people seize opportunity to be vaccinated

Scores of young people have turned out at the Ministry of Health, to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, after government reduced the age for persons to be vaccinated against the disease, to 18 years.

When DPI visited the Health Ministry on Brickdam, Georgetown, the persons waiting to be vaccinated were pleased that the Government is sparing no effort in ensuring all adult Guyanese are inoculated against COVID-19.

Ms. Tremaine Calendar said she took the vaccine to protect her young daughter.

“I decided to take the vaccine because of my daughter, I work with a lot of people, I’m around a lot of people and I have a 4-year-old who I love a lot. So, she is the reason I took the vaccine today,” Ms. Calendar said.

Mr. Kester Abrams said he had been waiting patiently for the Government to lower the age requirement for the vaccine and he took the first opportunity to get the shot.

“I was just waiting to be eligible and as fast as I became eligible, I think it is a smart decision to make. We are thinking about alleviating the effects that you might have if you don’t have the vaccine and I mean we are all working with persons in organisations, we are all around family members and stuff like that.

So, whatever we could do to mitigate the symptoms of it and avoid being in the hospital and all of that and I think it is a pretty easy first step.”

Mr. Ganesh Persaud said he took the vaccine because he interacts with many people due to his work. He believes he will be safer with the vaccine.

“It will be beneficial for me because I work in a public area and I go in and out the fields and every time I come out the fields, I would have to like take quarantine, self-quarantine and stuff like that. Generally, it is for me and my family you know and I does be out a lot so I need to be safe.

Meanwhile, Mr. Steve Ramoutar said he sees the vaccine as the best option to remain alive during the pandemic. He is calling on citizens to get immunised.

“My reason for taking this vaccine is just to be safe against Covid. It can spread very easily and there are many ways to get contaminated. So, just to be safe I encourage everyone to take it because everyone experiences different symptoms, so it is better to be safe than sorry.”

Government is urging persons 18 years and older to be inoculated against Covid, as the country strives to achieve herd immunity.