As COVID-19 continues its global rampage claiming millions of lives, the Government of Guyana has insisted that it will continue to invest whatever is necessary to safeguard the lives of all Guyanese.
Already, during the first half of the year, more than $2 billion has been spent on expanding the country’s National Vaccination Programme and ensuring that enough COVID-19 vaccines are procured to inoculate every eligible person.
So far, over 40 per cent of Guyana’s entire population has been fully vaccinated against the deadly virus.
Guyana’s Ministry of Finance’s Mid-Year report indicated that barring further supply-chain challenges, an additional $2.1 billion could be required to facilitate achieving high levels of immunity within the adult population.
Additionally, in 2020, Guyana’s government expended some $16.7 billion on its COVID-19 response. Of that figure, $7.1 billion was related specifically to preparing and further boosting the capacity of the health sector, representing 13.9 per cent of total health sector spending.
