The Guam National Guard has been working with the Office of the Governor and Public Health to vaccinate about 100,000 of Guam’s residents by Liberation Day in an effort to achieve 80% herd immunity.
In an interview with Newstalk K57’s Patti Arroyo, Mark Scott, Guam National Guard Public Affairs Officer, gave an update on the UOG vaccination clinic.
According to Scott, at the vaccination clinic’s highest point, the National Guard saw over 2,000 people at the Fieldhouse daily, adding that the UOG vaccination clinic currently sees about 300-500 people regularly.
Scott said that although numbers at the UOG clinic are not the same as at their peak, he has been seeing vaccination numbers increase in community outreach pods due to more vaccine resources being made available.
In addition, Scott credited the Guam National Guard’s strike team for its proactive efforts to vaccinate individuals through community outreach sites and the UOG vaccination clinic.
Scott said that the Guam National Guard is in the process of retrograde as it gradually plans to hand vaccinations back to GovGuam agencies once things begin to stabilize.
When asked if he thinks it’s possible to vaccinate the remaining 5% of Guam’s community to achieve 80% herd immunity by Liberation Day, Scott said that he thinks the goal is doable.
“It’s doable if the people stay informed, and if we tell each other — our friends and family and neighbors about the benefits of getting vaccinated. There was some fear originally, that all the people who wanted the vaccine got it already and no one else is gonna wanna get it. But here on Guam, it’s a part of our culture to look out for each other and I think that’s the message that people are spreading — that hey, let’s all take care of each other and help keep each other safe and got get your shot,” Scott said.
Scott says that he is thankful to Guam’s community for looking out for one another and encourages residents who have yet to do so to get vaccinated to help keep Guam safe.
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