Covid-19 vaccines demand skyrockets in western region

There is a scramble for Covid-19 vaccines in western region as hundreds turn up at various vaccination centres to receive the jabs.

The district health authorities in a mini-survey conducted by the Daily Monitor last Friday said in some of the districts, the consignments of Covid-19 vaccine doses that they received from the Ministry of Health, didn’t last for a month.

In Kitagwenda District, Dr Christine Karungi, the District Health Officer, said they had received 9,131 doses of Covid-19 vaccine and had vaccinated 5,328 people.

Also, 1,430 people had completed their second dose.  Dr Karungi said 447 health workers has so far received their first dose while 259 had completed the second dose. A total of 1,241 teachers had gotten their first dose and 383 had completed the second.

For the armed forces, 272 got the first dose and 134 completed the second dose. In the elderly category, 968 got the first dose and 282 had completed the second. For comorbidities, 238 got the first dose and two completed the second.

The data also shows that 2,848 people who are below the age of 49 representing 74.3 percent had been vaccinated. For those above 50 years, 987 people had been vaccinated, representing 25.7 percent.

Dr Karungi said the district identified 10 vaccination centres.

“For us to be able to achieve that number, we have mobilised our people with the help of 348 Village Health Team (VHTs) and 348 village chairpersons that were trained,” she said.  

Cumulatively, by last week, they had registered 385 Covid-19 cases of which 217 were in the second wave, four people died and six are active cases.

In Kyenjojo, the District Health Officer, Dr Charles Tusiime, said they have administered 19,152 doses that they received from the Health ministry.

Dr Tusiime said among the people who received the jabs, 70 percent were teachers while 80 percent were health workers. He said the district has a 534,000 people and the exercise targets 60 percent of those aged 18.

“We shall achieve this target because we do outreach programmes,” he said, adding that the entire district has 21 vaccination centres.

Dr Richard Obeti, the District Health Officer for Bunyangabu, said of the 9,541 doses of Covid-19, they have vaccinated 7,839 people for the first dose and 2,268 people have received the second dose.

In Kyegegwa, the District Health Officer, Dr Pedson Kadole, said cumulatively, the district had registered 1,535 cases of covid-19 by last Thursday, where 17 patients died, one was still admitted and 16 were under home-based care.

He said to ease the mobilisation work, they trained more than 1,000 VHTs for the exercise.