Teachers must be responsible and get vaccinated against COVID-19

– President Ali

His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali is calling on teachers to be responsible and get vaccinated against the deadly COVID-19 disease. The President said too many lives have been lost to Covid, and this is why he is resolute in his pursuit of vaccines and vaccinations.

“We surely cannot expose the children to unvaccinated teachers and I am sure that the teachers are responsible enough to understand this, and understand the importance of vaccination.”

President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali

The President made this statement in response to a question posed to him during his virtual press conference on Monday.

Dr. Ai noted that scientists have said that as long as the delta variant lingers, it is possible that new variants will emerge.

“This is not an easy battle… and any decision you make, this this battle has elements of risks. You just have to measure those elements of risks and make the best possible decision in a holistic interest of the country.”

The President also said the Government is doing its best under the current circumstances.

“Nothing can be excellent if one life is lost… I am aware of the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and country if people are not vaccinated, and that is what worries me,” the Head of State said.

Dr. Ali reminded the media corps that the Government is currently pursuing the Pfizer vaccines for children ages 12 – 18 years. Once it arrives, he said, “We expect children to take it.”

Notably, Guyana’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign has been boosted with the arrival of 84,800 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the United Kingdom today.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, MP, expressed the Government’s gratitude for the donation, when he travelled to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport to receive them today.

“This of course, would help us to further our vaccination programme… This would certainly complement what we’re doing, more so that these vaccines, the temperature, the storage is between two to eight degrees Celsius and this is the traditional cold chain we have in Guyana.

“It would be much easier to work with these vaccines as we put them in different locations across Guyana. We are extremely grateful for this donation,” the Health Minister said. To date, more than 50 per cent of the country’s adult population has received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and more than 27 per cent fully immunised