One-shot Johnson and Johnson/Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 vaccines are expected to arrive in Guyana next month. The jabs have already been paid for through an arrangement with the African Union (AU), Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony said during today’s COVID-19 update.
He did not say how many vaccines will arrive, nor the price of the shots.
In late April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended the use of (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine in the United States.
The vaccine was 66.3% effective in clinical trials (efficacy) at preventing laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection in people who received the vaccine and had no evidence of being previously infected. People had the most protection two weeks after getting vaccinated. In the clinical trials, the vaccine had high efficacy at preventing hospitalization and death in people who did get sick. No one who got COVID-19 at least 4 weeks after receiving the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine had to be hospitalized, the CDC said.
Health authorities in Guyana are using three types of vaccines: AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Sputnik V. The Ministry began administering second dose of Sputnik V today after receiving a shipment yesterday. Persons, who received their first jab in April, have been given priority to receive their second dose of Sputnik V.
The Minister noted that Sinopharm jabs are available in first and second doses. As for the AstraZeneca, Dr Anthony appealed for first dose recipients to return for their final shot.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Government is expecting a shipment of vaccines through the COVAX mechanism between this month and September. It is also slated to receive more shots through the supplier in Dubai.
The Minister noted a ‘significant increase’ in persons visiting sites for vaccines. He added that to date, 239,877 (79.3% of the adult population) have received their first dose of the vaccines, with 120,914 (24.8%) being fully immunized.