25 percent Guyanese teenagers vaccinated, Minister Anthony

SOME 25 PERCENT OF GUYANA’S ADOLESCENT POPULATION have received
the COVID-19 jab, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony told the nation Monday during his
daily ‘Update’ televised broadcast.
This means that 18,299 adolescents from 12 to 17 years old in the country have so far been
inoculated with the US-manufactured Pfizer vaccine, according to the health ministry.
Minister Anthony wants the entire Guyanese adolescent population be immunised as quickly
as possible against the contagious and deadly coronavirus.

“It all depends on how many persons are coming in, if people are not going to be coming in
fast enough, then the period will be protracted, so we want to advise parents to make sure that
they bring their children out to get vaccinated,” Anthony said according to a Department of
Public Information (DPI) statement.
Anthony explained there are two requirements for adolescent vaccination; “One is that you
have to show proof of age, so that you’re between the ages of 12 to 17, and (two), get
parental consent. So, once we have those two things, we’ll be able to vaccinate your child,”
the minister assured.

According to the health ministry’s statistics 385 adolescents or 14.3 per cent of Barima/Waini
(Region One) adolescents have received their first dose, while 1,134 or 24.8 per cent in
Pomeroon/Supenaam (Region Two) did so too.
In Essequibo Islands/West Demerara (Region Three), 2,939 persons or 27.9 per cent got the
vaccine, while in the most -populated of the 10 administrative Regions, Demerara/Mahaica
(Region Four), 7,354 or 24.2 per cent, received the first dose of the inoculant.
Immediately east of Region Four, 1,340 or 27.5 per cent in Mahaica/Berbice (Region Five)
took the jab and 3,209 or 30 percent in East Berbice/Corentyne (Region Six) did likewise,
and 342 or 19.1 per cent also were vaccinated in Cuyuni/Mazaruni (Region Seven).

A paltry six adolescents or 0.6 percent got the jab in Potaro/Siparuni (Region Eight) because
the vaccination drive “was just rolled out” there, Anthony explained during the ‘Update’
programme. He said in Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo (Region Nine) some 57.6 per cent of
the adolescent population or 1,364 persons were vaccinated while in Upper
Demerara/Berbice (Region Ten) only 226 or 5.8 per cent of that teenage population got the
Pfizer.

Guyana received 146,250 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the United States Government for
the immunisation of the adolescent population here. It is part of a larger 5.5 million doses
donated for CARICOM countries.