By Steven Enatu
SOROTI
Soroti district has received 550 dozes of AstraZeneca and 2730 dozes of Morderna vaccines against covid-19. This is in line with the government move to vaccinate a target population of 21 million Ugandans before full reopening of the economy.
According Abraham Ekwaru, the District communication officer, Soroti District, the new batches were received over the weekend and have been dispatched to various health units in the District.
Soroti District started vaccinating its target population on the 18th March 2021 and according to the statistics as of 29th September 2021, 5998 people have been fully vaccinated. This includes teachers, health workers, armed forces, elderly and people with comorbidities.
He said overall, the district target for vaccination (Population 18 years and above) is 175,000.
“So far we have vaccinated 947 health workers out of the total target of 1363, teachers 1679 have been vaccinated and the target is 1500 indicating a positive response from the Teachers and we are still calling them to continue passing the message to other colleagues. Armed forces we have vaccinated 197, elderly 1380, people with comorbidities 68 and others including the youths 1722 have been vaccinated” he stressed.
Vaccination was launched in Uganda on the 10th March, 2021 by the government and on the same day Soroti district received 5,020 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, together with necessary vaccination logistics, printed stationery and emergency medicines.
The district launched its vaccination exercise on 18th March, 2021, however, initially there was slow uptake of the COVID-19 vaccination due to poor sensitization and vaccine hesitancy among the people due to low perception of risk of COVID-19 infection.
But the devastating effect of the 2nd wave, with highly transmissible and pathogenic COVID-19 variants, caused a rush for vaccination and by 1st June, 2021 vaccines were finished.
Another supply of 840 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine was received on the 23rd June, 2021 but by 29th June, 2021 had run out.
A supply of 2,288 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine was received on the 10th August, 2021 and another supply of 2,360 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and 2,605 doses of Sinovac COVID vaccines was received on the 27th August 2021 and was fully utilized.
Due to this good uptake, the District received more doses of Morderna and AstraZeneca this October which the District Communication officer Ekwaru urges people to go and get from all the District health facilities.
