Dear Editor,
The Government’s decision to vaccinate all Guyanese adults for the COVID-19 virus has been described as a “bold move”, and indeed it is. It came three days ahead of a similar decision made by a world leader in the distribution of vaccines – the USA – and in front of most countries around the world. However, it is not without risks, the main one being the lack of vaccines.
It was estimated that the country would need 740,000 other vaccines, based on its current supply. This is the worst case scenario, as this estimate does not consider that “herd” immunity can be achieved without vaccinating 100% of the population. But whatever the amount, the country would still need a significant number of vaccines, and would have to deal with the difficulty of access, given the world’s supply.
The challenge is to bring the population to herd immunity quickly before variants of the virus catch on. This can be achieved by the unscientific timing of booster vaccines recommended by pharmaceutical companies manufacturing the vaccines. They did no study to estimate the optimal time period between the first and second doses, and current recommendations are without sound basis. The UK, recognizing this deficiency, decided to prioritize the first shot, where receivers receive some protection, over the second shot, which enhances that protection.
This policy change has been so effective that the UK now has one of the lowest COVID-19 transmission / death rates in Europe. For example, 50% of the UK population has received their first dose, compared to just 15% fully vaccinated, and the daily death rate has fallen from a 7-day average of 1,248 three months back to a minimum of 25 today. Accordingly, I strongly recommend that the Government of Guyana adopts the UK approach to the utmost protection of the Guyanese population. Let us pause the second shot, which, except for the Sputnik vaccine, is the same as the first shot, until everyone who wants to be vaccinated receives their first shot.
This method would also have the effect of rolling out those “alarmists” who constantly call for a lock with every passing death. These are the people who feel they are contributing by criticizing, always easily, without offering answers to the damage caused to lives and livelihoods from such acts. Since Guyana cannot run its currency “printing presses” as the United States and European Nations have done, to compensate for the damage of restrictions, it must adopt other measures that limit harassment. It must speed up the pace of vaccinations, require vulnerable populations to self-isolate, and allow healthy people to carry out their daily activities while observing precautionary measures such as surface dressings, social isolation, and mainly the prevention of large concentrations to flatten the curve; ie, to prevent the country’s medical capacity from being overwhelmed.
Most would be disproportionate, or have mild symptoms, and some would inevitably die, but that’s a social cost for preserving it.

Faithfully,
Holder of Louis

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