A number of health professionals interviewed by URN attributed the low number of Ugandans seeking booster doses to the current trends of the disease. Dr Daniel Kyabayinze, the incident commander of COVID-19 Vaccination, says that only a few Ugandans are getting the booster dose because of the number of new infections.
The majority of Uganda
who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have not received booster doses as recommended
by health professionals. Records from the Ministry of Health show
that more than 10.2 million people representing 48 percent of the targeted 22
million people were fully vaccinated as of April this year.
However, of these, only 59,542 have received
booster doses that are supposed to increase the efficacy of the vaccines, which
is believed to wane with time. This means over 10.1 million Ugandans who are
fully vaccinated have not received their booster doses.
A
number of health professionals interviewed by URN attributed the low number
of Ugandans seeking booster doses to the current trends of the disease. Dr Daniel Kyabayinze, the incident commander of COVID-19
Vaccination, says that only a few Ugandans are getting the booster dose because
of the number of new infections.
He however urged all persons to go and get the
jabs before the focus shifts to other age groups. "At the moment we are reporting low numbers and people
think that there's no longer COVID so the demand for vaccination has reduced
but this is not true. This pandemic has had waves and another might be around
the corner. So it is important for everyone to get vaccinated to protect
themselves,"Dr Kyabayinze said.
However, some vaccinated persons we spoke to intimated that
they were tired of getting vaccinated while others said they didn't know where
to get the booster doses.
“The entire COVID-19 vaccination exercise was a mass
trial. Why would I expose my body to chemicals it doesn't need," a doctor
working at Mulago National Referral Hospital told URN on condition of
anonymity.
Similarly, 36-year-old John Ntende, a resident of Kireka, said that he
will not get booster doses because he realized that COVID-19 vaccines are an
experiment. Ntende says that he does not want to expose his body to more unnecessary
chemicals.
//Cue in; " I have not yet...
Cue Out...the boost,"//
Elizabeth Monday, 65, says that she does not know where to get
a booster jab. According to Monday, while a lot of information was shared on TV
and radios about the first doses, almost no information has been issued on
booster doses.
//Cue in; "Honestly I don't...
Cue out...booster dose,"//
According to Dr. Kyabayinze, the country has more than enough
vaccines and people should just walk into any Kampala Capital City Authority
health centers to get their booster dose.
Uganda is using a mix and match approach for booster doses
depending on the vaccines one received for the first dose. Persons who were
vaccinated with AstraZeneca, get Pfizer or Modern while those who got Pfizer or
Moderna in their first dose get AstraZeneca.
Those vaccinated with Sinopharm or
Sinovac are supposed to get AstraZeneca or Pfizer or Moderna while those who
got Johnson&Johnson are supposed to get Pfizer or Moderna doses.
