Govt. aggressively pursue countries and suppliers for COVID-19 vaccines
– says that COVAX’s contribution will not be enough to immunize the population
Kaieteur News – The government will pursue the assistance of several COVID-19 vaccine producing countries and individual manufacturers to strengthen its immunization capability. This is because the slate vaccines to arrive from the COVID -19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX) will not be sufficient to protect the majority of citizenship.

His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali
Making this revelation was the President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. He was, at the time, providing updates on government plans during a press conference held on Saturday.
Guyana had joined the COVAX facility last year which includes organizations such as the World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness, and Innovation and GAVI – the Vaccine Alliance. The facility’s primary goal is to get lower-income countries to acquire vaccines for at least 20 percent of their population.
During the briefing session, it was stated that Guyana will receive vaccines for 20% of the population, but as it will not be enough “all routes need to be explored” for more vaccines to be procured. That includes using multilateral and bilateral arrangements according to President Ali. He said, the government is working with CARICOM, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the European Union to obtain a quota of vaccines.
As it pertains to bilateral commitments, the President noted that the government has already had productive discussions with the Governments of India, China and Russia, for the supply of vaccines. So far, the Chinese government has already committed to giving 20,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Guyana. As the government continues to engage with the countries, the negotiations to procure vaccines will soon be completed.
The President also revealed that he and his team are negotiating directly with major manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines. “We are also in discussion with the leading manufacturers Pfizer, BioNTec, Moderna and AstraZeneca and hope to finish a supply of vaccines from these manufacturers soon,” Ali noted.
Guyana is slated to receive 3,800 doses of the COVAX facility between February and March at a cost that will be immediately allocated to frontline health workers, people with joint morbidity and the elderly.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony, who also attended the briefing, said that in order to achieve herd immunity, the government will need to immunize as close to 80 per cent of the population.
He shared that the training of health officers consisting of nurses with the necessary experience and other healthcare workers has already begun. A total of 35 teams will be trained.
He also advised that recipients of the vaccines will be kept separate for a short time so that they can be seen for any adverse effects of the virus. Vaccinated people will also be required to carry a vaccination card.
As it pertains to proper storage for the vaccines, the Health Minister revealed that 14 storage sites across the country are currently being expanded and the government is continually working to procure freezers to w storage.
The President also took the opportunity to inform citizens that they will not be forced to take the vaccine but urges them to take it so that the country can secure immunity.