Prime
Govt opens second round for Covid jabs
This photo handout from the Ministry of Health shows World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative, Dr Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam as he receives his 2nd dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on May 21. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The WHO country representative, Dr Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, said available evidence shows that mixing AstraZeneca with Pfizer is safe, but that government is still reviewing the data.
The government yesterday opened the second round of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to all Ugandans who had taken the first jab and have completed more than eight weeks.
Addressing journalists yesterday after receiving her second shot, Health minister Jane Ruth Aceng also revealed that some frequent travellers to the country had already received their second doses.
“We have opened up for the second dose to all those who received the first dose and have at least completed more than eight weeks. The World Health Organisation (WHO) guides on between eight and 12 weeks as the best time [interval to receive the second shot],” Dr Aceng said in Kampala.
She said those eligible for the vaccination can keep coming for their first shot.
This, however, is a slight contradiction to the earlier pronouncement by Dr Aceng that the second shot would be given after 12 weeks because the efficacy of the vaccine is higher when receipt of the second dose is delayed.
“The Ministry of Health, therefore, advises all those who are due for their second dose of the vaccine to wait for the 12-week period from the time of receipt the first dose,” she said on May 5.
Asked why the second dose is between eight to 12 weeks and not by 12 weeks as earlier communicated, Dr Aceng said she had earlier talked of 8 to 12 weeks as the recommended time.
But information from other sources in government indicate that since other people were already receiving the second dose behind curtains and the increasing risks posed by new deadly variants of the coronavirus, government and scientists agreed to open up for the second dose to all Ugandans who are due.
The government started Covid-19 vaccination on March 10, after receiving 864,000 doses of the vaccines from the global sharing initiative –Covax and later another 100,000 doses of the same vaccine from the Indian government.
A total of 472,617 Ugandans have already received the first dose of the vaccine.
By May 21, more than 19,000 people who received the first dose by March 20 were due for the second jab.
But the doses at hand are too few for the 22 million Ugandans that government plans to vaccinate and the said 4.8 million people who are considered to be highly vulnerable to Covid-19 infection and other severe disease should be vaccinated first.
Dr Aceng said the vaccine uptake in the country is very good in central and southern part of the country but the uptake is still low in northern and eastern parts.
The WHO country representative, Dr Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, said available evidence shows that mixing AstraZeneca with Pfizer is safe, but that government is still reviewing the data. Government also plans to import the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
