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No spoilage of Sputnik V vaccines -Minister Anthony

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, MP, says reports about the spoilage of a quantity of Sputnik V vaccines are false.

Minister Anthony debunked these claims during Friday’s COVID-19 Update.

“It’s fake news. We know that we do have some Sputnik V first dose that is available and people are getting it. But for the second dose, we don’t have second dose and that’s why we have quite a number of persons who are waiting on it…

“As soon as those vaccines come in, within a day or two, they’re all gone, because people are already waiting on the second dose so we don’t have any spoilage with Sputnik. That’s obviously fake news from someone or some persons who are trying to undermine the vaccination efforts here.”

Meanwhile, the Minister says the Government expects to receive 50,000 vaccines to curb the spread of COVID-19, next week.

Those vaccines are being made available through the COVAX facility, a worldwide initiative directed by the World Health Organization and other groups, aimed at ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

“I just want to assure the public that we have enough vaccines for everyone who would like to get a vaccine. So, we have AstraZeneca vaccines available. We have Sinopharm vaccines that are available. We have Sputnik V vaccine, the first dose is available and we are working to get the second dose.

“These three vaccines are currently available, so you will have a choice. Next week, we are expecting another 50,000 or so doses from COVAX. So, this would complement what we already have. So, we have enough vaccines. Vaccines are not an issue.”

Dr. Anthony said Thursday, the Ministry administered 3,500 first doses, the highest number of first dose vaccines given out in a single day since the start of the campaign.

To date, 260,403 persons over the age of 18 have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This represents 53.5 per cent of the adult population. Some 143,302 persons or 29.4 per cent of adult in Guyana are fully vaccinated against the disease.