The Ministry of Health is forced to respond to the continued, deliberate and reckless misinformation spread by Sherod Duncan. Sherod Duncan is an APNU/AFC MP and we urge the Leader of the Opposition to distant himself from the reckless misinformation that Duncan spews daily.
Clearly, Duncan is dismayed that the PPP Government has been able to secure vaccines for the Guyanese people and that almost 60% (249,000) of the adult population have already received at least one dose of COVID-19 VACCINES, with over 30% (135,000) adults fully vaccinated. Instead of being pleased that our people are being vaccinated, Duncan continues to desperately seek ways to discourage people from taking vaccines. This is utterly irresponsible and it is reckless.
Even as the vaccination numbers drive Duncan into desperation, the “Because We Care” Education cash grant distribution across the country is now making him delusional. In each Region where the cash grant program is being rolled out so far, almost 100%of parents have been coming forward to access the grants. But, in a recent FB post, Sherod Duncan alleges that the PPP Government is seeking to force COVID-19 vaccination for parents as a condition for them receiving their cash grants.
The Ministry of Health continues to roll out the vaccination program as a voluntary exercise. COVID-19 vaccination in Guyana is not mandatory. We continue to urge every Guyanese adult to do the right thing and help stop COVID-19 by taking the vaccine. However, vaccination in Guyana continues to be voluntary.
There is no vaccination eligibility for parents to receive the Education Cash Grant. For the Education Cash Grant, the only eligibility remains that there is a child in school, from nursery to secondary. By the end of this week, more than $1.5B would have been distributed to parents and not one of them have had to prove they were vaccinated against COVID-19. Any such assertion is a deliberate falsehood.
The Ministry of Health has no plans to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory.
The Ministry of Education has no plans to require COVID-19 vaccination to qualify for the cash grant.
The Ministry of Health, therefore, unequivocally rejects Duncan’s desperate attempt to misrepresent the facts. We urge all responsible stakeholders to support the ongoing efforts of the Guyana Government to vaccinate all adults. At the same time, we urge every parent of children in school to obey all the COVID-19 measures as they come forward to receive the “Because We Care” cash grant.
Ministry of Health
July 28, 2021.
