More than 1,298 teachers in Bunyangabu District have received their first jab for COVID-19.
The district received 3,079 doses of AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines targeting more than 5,000 people.
According to information from the health department of the district another 4,009 people under the vulnerable person’s category have also got their first dose and 1,958 received their second.
The district has also designated three special vaccination centres for teachers after the Ministry of health issued an order giving local governments until the end of this month to have vaccinated all teachers and students above the age of 18.
These centres are Katebwa health center III in Katebwa Sub County, Mitandi health center III in Kyamukube town council and Kasunganyanja Health center III in Kibiito Sub County.
Dr. Richard Obeti, the district Health Officer says they are trying to move closer to the teachers to ensure they comply with the directive of the ministry of health. He says they have already vaccinated 59% of the target teacher population in an exercise he anticipates to end by Wednesday next week.
However, Dr. Obeti says the teachers are still complaining of the long distances they cover to get to the vaccination centres and the rainy season that limits their movements. He adds that they have also added learners above 18-years under the priority group as guided by the ministry of health.
The head of the District COVID-19 task force who is also the district RDC, Jolly Tibamanya says they are busy mobilizing and encouraging teachers to embrace the exercise.
The RDC also told Uganda Radio Network (URN) that the district disbursed Shs 144m as COVID-19 response funds to sub counties and town councils to support response plans at the lower government levels.
Each village is entitled to get Shs400,000, with Shs 300,000 to be spent on VHTs and 100,000 to the village taskforce, while Shs720,000 was allocated to sub counties/town councils’ taskforces.
Annet Kajumbukire Byamugisha, the Deputy Head teacher at Kibito Primary School, says many of the teachers in her school have already been vaccinated. However, she wants government to come out with a clear plan on how learners below 18-years of age especially in primary schools will be handled when schools re-open to avoid affecting the learning process again.
Last month, the health ministry prioritized vaccination of teachers by ring fencing 300,000 Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines to carry out vaccination among this priority group that has been reporting low vaccination uptake since March this year.
However, figures from the health ministry show that only 237,930 teachers and support staff representing 43 percent of the targeted 550,000 people in this group have received one dose of the vaccine. Only 88,825 teachers have been fully vaccinated.