KAMPALA – Hundreds of Ugandans on Monday turned up for the COVID-19 vaccination at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
Effective Monday 31, vaccination will be taking place at Kololo from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily, the health ministry spokesman announced on Sunday.
Following the rise in the number of Ugandans seeking to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the health ministry shifted the exercise from its headquarters in Wandegeya to the more spacious Kololo grounds.
Dr. Daniel Kyabayinze says government has a goal of vaccinating at least 49.6% of the Ugandan population, which is about 21,936,011 people.
This is being done in a phased manner, with each phase planned to cover 20% of the population.
Currently, Uganda is in the second phase of its vaccination program. Categories that have so far been vaccinated include health workers, teachers and people aged 70 and above.
Others include security personnel, humanitarian frontline workers, and people above 50 years with underlying conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart, kidney or liver disease.
People aged 18-50 with the same underlying conditions have also been vaccinated, as have other emerging high-risk and priority essential groups.
This is happening as more vaccine doses are expected to arrive in the country.
Outside Kampala, the vaccinations are taking place at designated public health facilities, including health centre IIIs, IVs, general hospitals and regional referral hospitals.
Uganda has recently seen a sharp rise in infections, which is beginning to worry health experts.
The health ministry says the number of severely and critically ill COVID-19 patients is rising much faster than during the first wave.
Meanwhile, several miles away in western Uganda, Kagadi hospital immunization centre has seen a huge number of people show up for vaccination.
Some people want a more organised facility and are calling for the observance of SOPs to prevent the spread of the very virus that they are getting vaccinated against.
Other people have pointed fingers at health workers at the centre, blaming for alleged being selective on who to vaccinate first.
