Georgetown: Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony says the updated COVID-19 vaccination requirements are in place to ensure public safety, especially in light of the increase in COVID-19 cases.
During Monday’s COVID-19 update, the health minister said Section 17 of September’s COVID-19 gazetted measures “is one way to ensure that public environments are safe.”
The Gazette stated that persons who wish to enter any “Public buildings” whether state or privately owned to conduct business, will have to be vaccinated. However, unvaccinated persons who may want to enter will have an appointment and must produce a negative result from a PCR COVID-19 test taken within seven days of the appointment. Public buildings include supermarkets, stores, banks, places of worship, among others.
“If you have vaccinated people, the chances are, we will have a much safer environment when we visit those places and it’s not only for the people who are accessing the service it’s also for the people who are working, because we have to create a safe environment, if we are going to push back against the COVID-19,” Minister Anthony said.
Dr. Anthony said within the last 24 hours, Guyana recorded 101 new positive COVID-19 infections. Of the country’s 2,200 active cases, 122 are currently hospitalised, 100 persons are at the Infectious Diseases Hospital with 38 of these in the Intensive Care Unit.
“We have to be more cautious and most of the people who are in the hospital right now, almost 99 per cent of them are unvaccinated and most of them were in the ICU, are also unvaccinated. So, we really want to appeal to people to make sure that they get their vaccination and protect themselves.”
To date, 320,747 persons or 62.5 per cent of the country’s adult population has received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 168,201 persons or 32.8 per cent of the adult population are fully inoculated. Additionally, 9,909 adolescents have taken the Pfizer vaccine.
