In order to ensure that those who were administered the first dose of the Sputnik V vaccine do get their second dose, the Ministry of Health has made a decision to halt administering the vaccines.
This comes at that time when Guyana in the past found itself with thousands of citizens waiting for their second dose of the vaccine due to the unavailability of the vaccine on the market.
The shortage was suspected to be because of the alleged relationship with a member of the United Arab Emirates ruling family, Sheik Ahmad Dalmook Maktoum, and his associate, Umar Farooq Zahoor. An international media investigation tied the two men to an alleged vaccine scandal targeting poorer countries.
Through this agreement, Guyana purchased the vaccine at more than US$22 per dose when the actual price then was US$10. At the time some $1 Billion (US$5M) was already spent in procuring the vaccines through the UAE Sheik.
Since then, the government has had to source the drug from elsewhere and at the time, that source was hard to come by, as thousands waited.
A month has passed. During the COVID-19 Update today, it was announced by the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, that the Ministry has made a decision to ease the administration of the first dose of the Sputnik V Vaccines, leaving the door open for the only second dose of the other vaccines.
“We are easing off on the first dose of Sputnik V but we have enough second dose for everybody and with the shipment that we got last week that was primarily the second dose. That is to ensure that everyone who received the first, will get their second,” Minister Anthony noted.
Dr. Anthony said that the program of vaccination will continue, as they are other vaccines available.
“In terms of Pfizer we have opened that up from 12 years and older and a person can come forwards and get that vaccine as well. We have an adequate amount of the vaccine in stock. We also have J and J vaccines in stock.
“So, we have a wide array of vaccines and people have a choice. Now they can come and get whichever one they want,” Dr. Anthony insisted.
With the halting of the administering of the Sputnik vaccine, for now, it remains unclear whether the Government will ever use the vaccine again knowing what has transpired.
But, as the fight goes, the Ministry of Health is seeking to have herd immunity by the end of the year; with some 80% of the adult population fully vaccinated.
