NEW YORK, New York – Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali on Thursday expressed concern at the United Nations (UN) about COVID-19 vaccine requirements imposed by some countries, insisting that people should not face restrictions based on what vaccines they have taken.
Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali delivering his maiden speech at the UN General Assembly on Thursday.In his address to the 76th Session of the General Assembly of the UN, he said “our efforts must be focused on full vaccination and addressing vaccine hesitancy”.
“Millions took the vaccines which were available at a time of much uncertainty, and they are the unsung heroes. They must not now be the subject of restrictions based on the vaccines they took,” he said in his maiden address to the General Assembly.
President Ali reminded that access to vaccines saw the world polarized, adding that the world must not diminish efforts at ending the polarization of access to vaccines by implementing measures that divide and curtail movement based on the type of vaccines taken.
The United States announced recently that international travelers must be fully vaccinated before they are allowed into the country. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are currently being administered to persons in the US.
The vaccines currently approved for use in the United Kingdom (UK) include Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson. Those four vaccines are also approved for use in Canada as well.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved seven COVID-19 vaccines, namely the Chinese-produced Sinopharm and Sinovac which have been approved for use in 64 and 40 countries respectively; the Indian-manufactured Covishield approved for usage in 45 countries; along with the Pfizer, Moderna, Oxford/ AstraZenaca and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
The Russian-manufactured Sputnik-V vaccine has been at the foundation of Guyana’s efforts to achieve herd immunity. It has not been given approval by the WHO but it is utilized by over 50 countries.
Participating in a panel discussion on the ‘Economic Recovery and Restructuring in Emerging Economies and the Integral Role of Energy and Infrastructure Development’, organized by the Global Business Leadership Forum, Goldman Sachs and O’Melveny in New York City, on Wednesday night, President Ali lamented the preferential treatment of certain vaccines, especially as prerequisites for travel, and opined that many of the demands are driven by business and profit.
“It’s a polarization, frankly speaking, that is driven by businesses and a polarization that is driven by profit, and not driven for the purpose of humanity and to get out of this pandemic. All the targeted policies of action must be driven for humanity, and not driven for profit or business. That is what has to happen,” he said.
Highlighting the significant impact that the pandemic has had on Guyana and sister Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nations, as well as other small developing countries, the President pointed to the clear disparity in the system.
“Unfortunately, what the pandemic has taught us is that disparity still exists in the world. What it also taught us is that at a time when the world was supposed to be coming together with greater strength, the world was insulated with every country fighting on its own and every individual fighting for themselves…so you’re facing a pandemic of equal proportions at the health level, but disproportionate proportions at the economic and social levels,” he said.
Ali noted that the developing world and poorer countries are more affected by the pandemic due to the disparity and will take longer to recover.
