The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) will be hosting a COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Workshop on Monday, February 28, 2022, in Georgetown.
Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch and UNICEF Representative Nicolas Pron are expected to deliver remarks.
The workshop comes on the heels of the Guyanese Minister expressing concerns over vaccine hesitancy in the country.
Last week, Dr Anthony said that community heads and religious leaders are spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccination, particularly in the hinterland regions.
The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Director, Carissa F. Etienne earlier this month urged the need for higher vaccination rates. She noted that out of the 13 countries and territories in the Americas that have not yet reached the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s 2021 goal of 40% vaccination coverage, 10 are in the Caribbean.
Notably, a recent survey by PAHO and UNICEF, supported by USAID, showed that 51% of vaccine-hesitant people in the Eastern Caribbean were open to changing their minds after seeing more scientific and medical evidence to support vaccination.
