Following a significant increase in COVID-19 vaccination efforts nationwide, more than 100,000 individuals have received their first dose of both vaccines and Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony highlighted that migrants are not excluded from the vaccination process. .
“Our policy with vaccination right now is to make sure that whoever is in Guyana and once you are an adult you get a vaccine because herd immunity cannot be guaranteed by excluding people,” Dr Anthony said on Wednesday, during his COVID -19 daily. briefing.
The Health Minister also related that other nationals working in Guyana would also receive the vaccines once they have been in the country for a long time. Herd immunity, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is a way to protect the population by developing widespread immunity from infectious disease. Vaccination of populations is a way of ensuring herd immunity.
WHO also encouraged countries to make provisions for refugees and migrants, especially as these groups are disproportionately affected in times of crisis.
The WHO Specialist Strategic Advisory Group (SAGE) suggests that countries should identify as low-income migrant workers, irregular migrants, those who are unable to physically distance, including those living in camps and camp-like settings priority for the worldwide allocation of COVID- 19 vaccination.
Beyond vaccinating migrants, the Health Minister highlighted that Guyana has exceeded the milestone of vaccinating 100,000 individuals with their first dose of one of the three COVID-19 vaccines being used locally. The vaccines used are: the Oxford-AstraZeneca Indian vaccine, the Chinese Sinopharm vaccines and the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.
“I think the health workers who have been on this vaccination campaign have done a wonderful job for us to achieve this milestone,” he said but added that the country now has a long way to go before herd immunity can be secured.