There is a very low turn up during the on-going second mass COVID-19 vaccination in Soroti district.
The campaign is meant to enable residents who received the first jabs to complete the recommended dosage for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Last month, the Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng launched the COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign in Teso with the target population of 1.1 million people. But the region recorded less than half of the targeted population.
The vaccination campaign dubbed “operation last lap” targeted people aged between 18 years and above in all the 10 districts and City comprising Teso Sub Region. But in Soroti district and the City, only about 83,000 out of 186,000 total targeted populations was vaccinated.
However, since the district commenced the second COVID-19 vaccination campaign last week, only a handful of people have turned up for the jabs. In Aukot Vaccination Centre, health workers vaccinate less than ten people daily from every outreach in the villages.
Joseph Okado, a Village Health worker in Agule- Okoole in Aukot Sub County says that much as they mobilized the communities for the vaccine, they are not enthusiastic like it was in the first campaign.
“In the last campaign, people were told that vaccination cards would be the only means to government services including healthcare. A majority of people in our villages rushed for the vaccine but I think their main target was to get the cards. They don’t seem interested like it was in November,” he added.
Okado says although the daily target for vaccination in every village is 100 people, the highest they have recorded since the second campaign is 55 while the other days have an average of 15 per day.
Dr. Charles Okhadi, the Soroti District Health Officer says the current campaign in the villages will end on December 31st, 2021. He notes that after December 31, the vaccination exercises will be conducted in health facilities.
Teso became an epicenter of COVID-19 infections during the second wave. But the COVID-19 treatment centre managed to save more than 2,300 people admitted to the facility.
