Africa-Press – Uganda. The second round of Covid-19 vaccination in Kampala got to a chaotic start yesterday, marked by long queues, limited jabs and inordinate delays.Many who turned up with enthusiasm, some lining up as early as 6am, returned home without being inoculated.Some of the prospective vaccine recipients alleged that other people who came late — for instance, at Kiswa Health Centre — jumped the queue and money reportedly exchanged hands to get them ahead to be inoculated.
A long queue was visible at 1pm at Nakawa Division headquarters, but the disorder during which first-time vaccine seekers were turned away, generated widespread public complaints.Officials in Kampala hoped to set eight vaccination centres, adding to 40 in the five divisions, but health workers that City Hall reportedly drafted to complement its staff were held over lockdown movement restrictions.
Long wait
In Kololo, as elsewhere, people waited for three to four hours for the vaccines.When this newspaper visited Kitawulizi Community Hall in Mbuya, more people were at 1:30pm arriving after being bounced from Butabika Psychiatric National Referral Hospital and Naguru juvenile home.There were only a handful lined up for the jab at Mbuya Military Barracks health centre.
Addressing journalists yesterday, Ms Sarah Zalwango, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) acting manager for Medical Services, instead spoke about a decline, by half, in Covid infections following introduction of mass testing in densely populated areas, particularly slums.“We have places where we have suspected Covid patients; so, we have introduced mass testing centres within the divisions where we have markets, slum areas like Owino, Nakasero and Kasokoso. We do rapid tests and PCR tests at low cost and we appeal to the people to link with us,” she said.
She added that they have launched a strategy where patients who are not severely ill, are put under home based care and they are monitored by Village Health Teams, which are located in every division and where their conditions get worse, they call the ambulance to refer them to the health centres that can handle the situation especially when they fall very sick.
Yesterday, Nile Breweries Ltd donated to the Kampala Capital City Authority Covid-19 task force 1,500 litres of fuel to ease mobility of health workers. While receiving the fuel, Mr Hussein Hudu, the Kampala resident city commissioner, noted that so far KCCA has registered 230 Covid-19 deaths since its outbreak in March 2020.
He warned LC1 chairpersons against issuing travel permits to whoever approaches them for the permits saying that they are seeing a big number of Ugandans flocking the streets as if there is no lockdown. The RDC said they are considering to ask President Museveni to revoke the powers he gave LCs to issue temporary travel permits to their residents, which he claimed is being abused.
“Not everyone who comes to you asking for a permit should be given one. I issue permits which within one day and these are for people who are travelling for burial,” he said.Ms Flora Aduk, the Nile Breweries communications manager, said the fuel they donated is valued at Shs19m and it is part of their annual Corporate Social Responsibility programme for this year.
