80 percent of the Special Interest groups category in Mukono missed Covid 19 Vaccination Second Jab

By ERIC YIGA

Leaders for Special Interest groups in Mukono Municipality and Mukono district  have raised a fear over their people who are likely to be affected again with the new wave of Covid 19 due to miss of the second jab in previously concluded mass immunization.

This comes after the ministry of Health suspended some of  medical  personnel who were carrying out this exercise at the grass root which left many people failing out to get the second jab and this includes people with disabilities, Elders among others.

Ramathan Lubowa Kamau Male councilor  representing People with disability at Mukono municipality council stated it that the suspension of some medical workers who were carrying out the exercise, left out a big gap when it comes to the people he represented because they find it very difficult to go to the health centers and Mukono general hospital to get their second jab due to some reasons.

Lubowa says that when the first and second wave entered into the country, the government urged them to mobilize the mass including the people he represented to go for vaccination and this was done at the grass root which  gave a chance to many of them to find the easy means to reach at this centers because they were within their residences and this  helped them  to get the first dose but in due course this centers were removed and that’s where many of this people ended and this hindered to go back for the second dose.

” Many of our people ended on the first jab  and missed the second jab after the ministry called back all the medical personnel who were carrying out this activity at the village level, this left many questions in our minds about how these people are going to do so that they can complete their immunization cycle.” Lubowa says

Apparently those around Mukono town and nearby places the whole exercise is carried out at Mukono General Hospital which has made it very difficult for people with disability to access the facility but at the village level it was very easy for the leaders to mobilize them to go for the vaccines which is very difficult now, because when it comes to the transportation towards this people it’s quite expensive  because where the normal person charged  2000 for them they were charge them 6000, because they took a lot of time and patience.

Councilor Lubowa appealed to the government and the ministry of Health to bring back this exercise at village level as it was before so that their people can get the second jab, otherwise people are likely to be re -affected which has raised many questions toward them.

Mukono Municipality Lubowa says that it has 2500 people with disability but only between 250-300 people who can afford transport have received the second jab which  gives the percentage of 20 percent and 2200 people  were left out which  is 80 percent of these people failing to acquire the second jab.

Dr Stephen Mulindwa Mukono District Health Officers says so far 360962 have received their first dose which gives the percentage of 101 and for those who have received the second dose are 270816 which totals to 75 percent, and the target for Mukono was 350,000/.

Dr Mulindwa added that the district is planning to carry out what they call vaccination for  Covid Catch up and also to vaccinate children who are 12 years above and this exercise will kick off in the mid June and this campaign will take five days.

” The medical people have tried to do their job, but the Mukono district people have failed to go back for the second dose. That’s why you are seeing that we are stagnating at 75 percent for the second dose, meaning that we are still 25 percent out there who were not vaccinated.” Dr Mulindwa says.

Dr Mulindwa says that Health Center 11, 111, iv and Hospitals will be having the vaccines and these will be the starting points and also to run out. On the issue of Special Interest groups category at this campaign they are going to prioritize them and make sure all who missed the second jab are vaccinated.

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