GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony is reiterating an appeal to Guyanese to get vaccinated against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as Guyana recorded more than 160 new3 cases.
Anthony said that 25 new cases had been registered over the last 24 hours, with six persons currently hospitalized.
“We are again appealing to the general public to take all the necessary precautions because over the last two weeks, the cases in Guyana have been going up, and hospitalization has been going up,” Dr. Anthony said.
He is also urging citizens to take personal responsibility in protecting themselves against infection by following preventative measures that have been put in place by the government over the last two years.
“For example, mask-wearing, avoiding crowded places, etc., because these are the basic non-pharmaceutical measures one can use in terms of preventing COVID,” he said, adding that the variants of the virus currently circulating mimic the influenza virus, which can lead to persons mistakenly thinking they have the flu.
He said, therefore, it is important that persons experiencing such symptoms get tested for COVID-19 even if they have flu-like symptoms, emphasizing the importance of vaccination.
“Unfortunately, we do not see a lot of persons coming in to be tested, although we have a number of testing sites. What would help is people getting vaccinated [because] we have seen a significant drop in vaccination rates. We are encouraging people who are older and/or those who have underlying medical conditions to get vaccinated.”
Dr. Anthony said the ministry would continue to provide all the relevant information to the public. However, information must be acted upon by everyone, including those who have been vaccinated. This cohort is being encouraged to return to get the booster doses.
“This is the only way you can protect yourself, especially for those who are vulnerable. We also need people and organizations to assess the risk for themselves and then be able to make those decisions to protect themselves and others.”
Guyana has recorded 1 285 deaths and 71 650 infections since the first case was recorded two years ago.
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