The Ministry of Health has retained the services of a translator to translate Covid-19 vaccination messages in the indigenous languages for the indigenous communities across the country.

“So, to reach people and to get over these messages the Ministry has been able to hire someone who translated messages pertaining to the vaccination, the importance of vaccination, the safety of vaccines in all of the indigenous languages. And we have been playing these as PSA’s on the various radio stations,” Dr. Anthony said during Tuesday’s COVID-19 update.

Apart from the Indigenous communities, the Minister said there are persons who speak a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese and the Ministry is also on the ground working with those who are bi-lingual to ensure they fully understand the importance of the vaccine.

The Minister said in some of the communities, influential figures, such as religious leaders, continue to encourage persons against taking the vaccines.

“Some of the faith-based leaders have been telling their church members not to take the vaccine and we want to urge these leaders and the churches they are affiliated with nationally, their national leaders to talk to them about the importance of vaccination. Because the meetings we have had nationally with all the national leaders of the faith-based organizations have supported the vaccination programme and we need that message to filter down,” the Health Minister said.

Anthony is calling on religious leaders to use their positions to encourage persons to get vaccinated against the virus.

More than 50% of Guyana’s adult population has received the first dose of one of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Close to 30% of the country’s adult population is now fully vaccinated.

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