A shipment of 83,000 Sputnik V vaccines landed in Guyana on Monday at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, as part of a Government buyout to immunize 200,000 people.
The doses sent are divided into 43,000 first doses and 40,000 seconds. In recent weeks, about 55,000 first doses were sent to Guyana.
The Sputnik V vaccine was developed by the Gamaleya Epidemiology and Microbiology National Research Institute in Moscow. It uses two different viruses that cause the common cold (adenovirus) in humans and these are weakened so they cannot replicate or cause disease. They are also modified so that the vaccine introduces a code for making the coronavirus spike protein.
Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony noted that with the second doses in stock, people will be fully immunized once they become eligible. This is the third tranche for distribution but more is expected soon.
“The second dose will be ready for those people who would need their second dose. Then we expect another batch of the vaccines soon. So the vaccines are going to come in contributions and as they come, we’ll continue the distribution, ”shared Dr Anthony.
The Government has taken a stance of vigorously pursuing vaccines so that all adults can be given the opportunity to vaccinate. The Minister said that in accordance with this plan, various routes were being explored.
“Our plan is, and continues to be, that we get vaccines for every adult in Guyana. So, there would be a vaccine for every adult in Guyana. Although we are getting the vaccine, it is still voluntary so people can decide whether they want it or not. Of course, we would prefer people to come forward for their vaccine because this is what is going to protect them, ”he said.
Sputnik V doses were purchased up to US $ 4 million. A further 24,000 doses were sent through the COVAX mechanism – the first tranche of 100,800 shots. The Chinese and Indian Governments also issued 20,000 and 80,000 vaccines while Barbados sent 3000.
Sputnik uses a different vector for each of the two shots in a vaccination course. This provides immunity with longer duration than vaccines using the same distribution mechanism for both shots, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). The two shots are placed about four weeks apart and have proven to be 91 percent efficient.
Sputnik V is to be stored at -18 ° C in its liquid form. However, in its freeze-dried form, it can be stored at 2-8 ° C, in a conventional refrigerator without the need to invest in additional cold chain infrastructure. Sputnik V has been approved for use in over 55 countries with a total population of over 1.5 billion people, according to RDIF.
With successes in vaccinating the population, the Ministry of Health described this as “an incredible achievement in an environment where developing countries have had little access to COVID-19 vaccines”.
“More than 30 countries have so far accessed even a single dose of vaccines. Dozens of countries have only received enough vaccines for less than one percent of their population. Over the next few days and in the coming weeks, Guyana will be pursuing access to an even greater amount of vaccines, ”a statement had said.
Since April 6, vaccination rollout has ramped up with nearly 100 fixed sites nationwide. There are mobile teams in each of the ten regions. In addition to these sites, there are special sites organized in cooperation with religious leaders. (G12)
