Uganda’s COVID-19 lockdown likely to be fully lifted in 2022

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Uganda is most likely to be fully re-opened in 2022 after at least 4.8 million people have been fully vaccinated. At the moment, the country is still under a partial lockdown with some sectors still closed.

Sectors like the entertainment and performing arts are still under total lockdown with bars, discotheques and theatres officially remaining closed. Also, congregations of more than 200 people are not allowed and children are still not allowed to attend Church. While schools were re-opened, nursery schools still remain closed. 

As of yesterday, only 404,972 people had received the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccines. According to the current vaccination trends from the health ministry for the month of May, on average 8,170 people are vaccinated daily. If the same trend continues, it will take the country 1 year and five months to administer at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to the targeted 4.8 million people mark.

While addressing delegates who attended his sixth swearing-in ceremony at Kololo Independence Ceremonial Grounds, President Yoweri Museveni said the lockdown will only be lifted once all the priority groups have been fully vaccinated.

Dr Alfred Driwale, the Programme Manager of the Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunization says the country will take longer to hit the targeted audience due to lack of vaccines.

According to Driwale, the set target can be hit in a couple of days as long as the country has vaccines. So far Uganda has only received 864,000 vaccine doses from the COVAX facility and an additional 100,000 vaccines from the government of India. 

The country is supposed to get an additional five million vaccines at the end of this month or early next month. However, it remains to be seen where the vaccines might be coming from since the COVAX facility is likely to face challenges getting vaccines from manufacturers based in India.

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