Region Three elderly citizens urge the nation to get vaccinated

Mr. Kuntie Balram, 65 years old: “Me glad for the vaccine. Me glad that they bring something good for let people not get the sick…Me come out today and me glad me get it.”

As the Government, through the Ministry of Health, continues its comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination programme across the country, senior citizens who have taken the vaccine are urging others to follow suit.

The immunisation of individuals 60 years and older began last Wednesday and continues to receive positive responses from beneficiaries.

On Monday, DPI visited two testing sites in Region Three, the West Demerara Regional Hospital and the Parika Health Centre. While there, several senior citizens, who were among the many who turned up to get vaccinated, shared their thoughts and made a special appeal to their fellow Guyanese to get the vaccine.

Mr. Prem Ganga, 68 years old: “We have to be thankful that now in Guyana we are getting the opportunity to have a vaccine that can prevent us from being seriously ill or even dying. Other countries, people want vaccines but can’t get, like in Brazil and so on where they are dying by the thousands every day. Here, we have the chance of getting the vaccine so why in the world would we not come and take the opportunity?”

Ms. Esther Pyle, 75 years old: “I would tell them to come and do it because your heath is important and, if it’s something you can avoid getting, you do it.”

Mr. Michael Nicholas, 83 years old: “I encourage anyone all round Guyana to go and get this vaccine because it’s a very, very good thing for this. There ain’t got no racial thing, all that we want is to get rid of this virus and let we all live together.”

Mr. Rajkumar 9only name given) 73 years old: “It would nice if the people them could take the vaccine and be on the safe side.”

To date, Guyana has received a total of 103,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of this, 83,000 doses were the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine while 20,000 were the Sinopharm vaccine. These were donations from the Governments of Barbados, China and India.

In a recent update, Minister Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony said priority remains on inoculating Guyana’s frontline health workers and on senior citizens. On February 12, the Ministry of Health commenced the immunisation of frontline health workers.