Govt sparing no effort in vaccination campaign -Minister Todd

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Hugh Todd has said the Government would spare no effort to ensure the population is fully immunised against COVID-19, as the vaccination campaign continues.

The Minister made this statement at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on Monday, following the arrival of 38,400 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX facility.

He said the Government has been very proactive in this endeavour, under the leadership of President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

“We were doing our research. We were able to balance public policy with the science, we kept doing our research. The Minister of Health has been very involved in following the literature and advising Cabinet and the President, and we were able to find that balance to keep [the] economy going at the same time. And, with the assistance we’re getting, through the COVAX mechanism all goes quite well for Guyana.”

Minister Todd said the Government remains committed to multilateralism.

“We want to continue along this trend because we see this as an important lesson being learned globally… We want to commend policymakers in the larger countries the US, Canada, UK, EU for coming forward on recognising that the threat to mankind needed that level of attention and financial commitment. We want this to extend not only to this crisis, but on other areas such as climate change and other ills.”

Meanwhile, United Kingdom Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Ray Davidson commended Guyana for its efforts to ensure the population is protected against COVID-19. However, he noted that more can be done to achieve herd immunity faster.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon Hugh Todd engaging High Commissioner of Canada, Mr. H.E Mark Burman

“The Government of Guyana has been extraordinary in this rollout. Vaccine take-off has been high, but it should be higher. We want to encourage people to take the vaccine. Don’t read the social media, take it from the experts. The vaccine does save lives,” he said.

The United Kingdom has continued to demonstrate its support in combatting COVID-19 by ensuring there is equitable access to vaccines for vulnerable populations. The UK is one of the largest donors of the COVAX Vaccine Rollout Initiative, committing some £548 million to the facility.

The COVAX vaccine rollout is utilising the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines. To date, several countries have received their first batch of vaccine doses under the initiative, including Guyana and Suriname, which received theirs in March.  Throughout 2021, COVAX plans to distribute over one billion vaccines to 92 countries.

Canadian High Commissioner, H.E Mark Burman, United States Deputy Chief of Mission Mr. Mark Colin, and a representative from the European Union shared similar sentiments and encouraged Guyanese to get vaccinated.

Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Mr. Malcolm Watkins, UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Mikiko Tanaka, and Dr. Janice Woolford, Family and Community Health Specialist, PAHO/WHO Guyana also witnessed the arrival of the vaccines at the CJIA.