Health workers vaccinated as Countrywide COVID-19 vaccination drive is launched

Health workers at Mulago Specialized Women and Neonatal Hospital and Entebbe General Hospital on Wednesday received the first jab of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine which has been authorized by the ministry of health as the country launched the much anticipated Covid 19 vaccination drive.

The permanent secretary Ministry of Health Dr Diana Atwine applauded the medical staff at the Entebbe General Hospital who have been stationed at the facility since it handled the first Covid 19 case last year.

“When we got the first Covid case, it was terrible and scary, we started focusing on treatment and when we came to discharge the first patient, it was a big event, attended by dignitaries, people wanted to see who the first patient was but we had to cover them, the treatment gave us hope” she said.

The UN resident coordinator Ms Rosa Malango and Designated Official for Security in Uganda said there is need for countries to unite and offer support to one another in order to curb the Covid pandemic.  

“The only way the world can get over covid is together, we were worried when we saw some inequalities coming up in the beginning of the vaccine trials but were are relieved to see that Covax picked up, which is an example of a global partnership to ensure everyone has a right to be protected against the pandemic”  she said.

The executive director Entebbe general hospital Dr Moses Muwanga said the facility which was at the frontline of handling covid 19 cases said it was able to maintain a n almost 100 percent free infection environment.

“We handled over 1,500 cases, we only got ten fatalities of people who died, others recovered and were sent back home. Only four of our staff got infected but fortunately they all recovered” he said.