Amuru authorities appeal for more Covid-19 vaccines

Amuru, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Authorities in Amuru district have appealed to the Ministry of Health to send them more COVID-19 vaccines.

The district received 3,000 doses of the vaccines on Tuesday which will cover 1,500 people. The vaccination exercise is expected to start by 17th of March.

Amuru district currently has a total of 486 health workers, at least 1200 teachers and 30,000 elderly people. These categories have been classified as the priority groups that will receive the vaccines.

Michael Lakony, the district LC V chairperson says that there is need for the government to add more vaccines given that Amuru is located close to South Sudan which he says manifested itself during the outbreak of the pandemic where at least 30% of Uganda’s cases were reported from.

Patrick Odong Olwedo, Amuru District Health Officer says that they are going to start with vaccinating the frontline health workers along with the support staff as they wait for further guidance from the Ministry of Health.

Olwedo says that teachers will be vaccinated towards the end of March, while others will have to wait in the second batch of vaccines that will be sent to the district by the Health Ministry.

On 5th March this year, Uganda received 864,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The country today started the mass vaccination of Ugandans starting with the health workers. Uganda has recorded a total of 40,490 cases of COVID-19 with 15,075 recoveries and 334 deaths since it was first recorded in March 2020.

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