The health ministry is organizing a campaign to increase the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.
According to figures from the health ministry, over 10,000 doses of vaccines are expected to expire at the end of September.
Now with a few days left to the end of the month, officials at the health ministry plan to organise a mass campaign at the Kololo Independence Grounds as a means to increase uptake of the vaccines.
“We are planning to carry out a campaign next week so that all those vaccines can be used. We are finalising plans and will communicate which dates the campaign will be,” Ainebyoona said.
During the last mass vaccination campaign that took place in May, the health ministry used vaccines that were picked from districts with low uptakes. Some of the affected districts at the time included; Adjumani, Amolata, Kotido, Bulisa, Nwoya, Kyenjojo, Sironko, Kaberamaido, Otuke and Omoro.
According to the programme manager of the Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunization, Dr Alfred Driwale mass campaigns of this nature allows people who would have normally not gotten the jab to get it. The government’s original target for vaccination were teachers, health workers, security officers, persons aged 50 years and above and those suffering from co-morbidities.
Dr Yonas Woldermariam, the World Health Organisation country representative in an earlier interview intimated that high vaccine uptake would give donors more confidence and would lead to more donations.
“It’s important that all the vaccines are used. This will show acceptance and willingness to get vaccinated. This will lead to more countries sharing their doses,” Dr Woldermariam said.
By the end of this year, Uganda is estimated to receive over 11 million donated vaccines. So far, over 4 million vaccines have been donated.
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