Orders US$4 million worth of Sputnik V doses to add to AstraZeneca supply

Guyana is getting more supply of COVID-19 vaccine for its population, having ordered US$4 million (GYD$800 million) worth of Sputnik V vaccines from Russia to roll out a massive inoculation exercise starting March 31.

This is in addition to the 33,600 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine that Guyana is receiving from the COVID-19 Global Vaccine Access (COVAX) facility on March 29, thus boosting the government’s plans to begin vaccinating persons over 40  from next Wednesday.

Over the last few weeks, the Irfaan Ali government in Guyana reported silence from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVAX facility on how much of the badly needed vaccines it would be supplied with. However, last Thursday the Pan-American Health Organization/WHO website stated that 33,600 doses of the AstraZeneca jab are in transit to Guyana and the shipment is expected to touch down in the capital of Georgetown on Monday. Guyana announced yesterday that 200,000 doses of the Russian vaccine would be arriving in Guyana next week, and another 24,000 doses through the COVAX mechanism.

Supply chain established by Guyana

Guyanese President Irfaan Ali advised that, “we have established a supply chain, we have established the storage facility. We had meetings with the private sector because we have to bring all the storage capacity together to get this done”.

The health ministry has already said that, starting next Wednesday, persons 40 years and older would be eligible to receive the jab.

Georgetown hopes to vaccinate 10,000 persons daily.

Ali restated that the Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Medical Brigade and medical students would be trained to document would-be vaccine recipients in collaboration with local government bodies such as Amerindian village and neighbourhood councils. 

Ali pointed out that, while Guyanese are being vaccinated, the task force would be enforcing the measures such as social distancing and the wearing of masks.

“This next four weeks is a very critical four weeks for us in ensuring that we stick to the guidelines while we push ahead with the vaccination,” he said.

“So, the task force will be working simultaneously with the vaccination programme to have strong enforcement, but we are sparing no effort and we are sparing no resource in getting the vaccines here.”

Second batch of Sputnik V doses to be bought

The Government of Guyana will also be buying a second batch of 200,000 Sputnik V doses, with the aim of vaccinating the majority of Guyanese to achieve herd immunity.

Guyana resorting to Russia comes at a time when India has imposed a temporary export ban on AstraZeneca vaccines because it needs as much of the drug to vaccinate millions of Indians at home who are still reeling from the virus.