Guyana exploring different medications to treat COVID-19

The government of Guyana says it is exploring the use of different medications, including the vaccine developed in Russia, as Caribbean countries continue to record deaths from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony said the government is now in talks with multiple international organisations to explore different medications to assist Guyana, where 44 people have died and 1,416 others are infected with the virus.

He said that a letter of intent was signed on August 31, to allow Guyana to be a part of the COVAX Facility, where 16 vaccines are being examined.

“By mid-next year, through this mechanism, we will receive vaccines equivalent to 20 per cent of our population.”

Last month, Russia named its first COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik. Like all vaccines, Sputnik had to undergo approval. To date, Phase 1 and 2 trials have been completed, while Phase 3 is in progress.

The health minister said that through the Russian Embassy in Guyana, a technical team from the Health Ministry engaged with the Russian government to get a better understanding of the vaccine and its effectiveness in treating the infectious disease.

He said upon completion of Phase 3, Guyana can expect to benefit from the Russian-COVID-19 vaccine.

Guyana is also exploring the use of a generic medication from India known as Remdesivir, described as an antiviral medication, which is currently being studied to treat the COVID-19.

According to Dr Anthony, the government in Argentina is looking at vaccines with the aim of producing 250 million dosages. He said the Health Ministry will engage in bilateral meetings to ensure Guyana is listed as one of the beneficiaries to treat its patients, thereby curtailing the spread of the deadly virus.

CMC