More than half of the Guyanese adult population is fully vaccinated against the deadly COVID-19 virus, says the country’s Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony.
“So, this is not the entire Guyanese population. Of the adult population, we have achieved the 51 percent.” He said while the milestone can be applauded, some regions are still lagging in their vaccination. He said the 51 percent overall was reached because of the high vaccination rate in Region Four.
“So we are 43.2 per cent in Region One; Region Two, 41.6 percent, for Region Three, 48.9 percent; Region Four, 58.5 percent; Region Five, 51.9 percent; Region Six 49.8 percent; Region Seven, 46.9 percent; Region Eight, 34.8 percent; Region Nine at 53.4 percent, and Region Ten at 22.3 percent. So, these are persons 18 years and over who would have received both doses of the vaccines.”
As of Monday, the Ministry of Health recorded 391, 521 adults, 18 years and older taking the first dose of a covid vaccine, representing 76.3 percent of that population.
Some 261,811 adults, or 51 percent of that population have already returned for the second dose of the vaccine.
For persons 12 to 17 years, 28, 345 or 38.9 percent were vaccinated with the first dose, while 19, 536 or 26.8 percent received the second shot.
Meanwhile, despite vaccination numbers progressively increasing, persons are still flouting the COVID-19 guidelines, adding to the number of positive cases, Dr. Anthony stated.
Just over the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health detected 55 new cases, raising the current active cases to 2,412.
Of that number, 50 persons are currently hospitalised, Minister Anthony noted.
“Thirty-two persons are now at the Ocean View Hospital with 15 of them in the ICU. The others are in different regional hospitals like four at Suddie Hospital, three at West Demerara, two at the Region Five facility, one at Skeldon, one at Bartica, two at Mahdia and we have four persons in the Wismar Hospital.”
Region Three is still topping the chart with 1,014 cases.
Minister Anthony is urging the population, both adults and adolescents, to come forward and be vaccinated against COVID-19.
