Africa-Press – Uganda. Covid-19 vaccination centres across Kampala descended into chaos yesterday as immunisation resumed triggering a mad dash for the few doses of vaccines.Officials at health facilities which Daily Monitor visited said they were only given 100 vials of the vaccine. Others like Kibuli Muslim Hospital either didn’t have vaccines or received the doses late.Daily Monitor established that people started turning up for vaccination as early as 5.30am.
One of the people who sought vaccination, identified only as Zaidah, said: “I was due for the second dose on July 21, but I went to Kiruddu Hospital and they directed me to Kisugu Health Centre III. But when I came to Kisugu, they told me that vaccines are over.” Shortly after Zaidah spoke to this newspaper, Dr Robins Sserwadda, an official from Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), who was supervising vaccination, directed people elsewhere because Kisugu Health Centre III didn’t have sufficient vaccines.
Many health facilities including Nsambya hospital reported a shortage of vaccines. Dr Christopher Oundo, the KCCA head of medical services for Nakawa, said the National Medical Stores (NMS) delivered only 15,000 doses of vaccines to KCCA and that they plan to exhaust the jabs within five days. “Hospitals are receiving 100 doses each day. Nakawa was given 2,000 doses today but we got the vaccines a bit late because of the delay by NMS to deliver the vaccines,” he said.
He said the number of personnel at vaccination centres informed the distribution of vials.Dr Oundo, however, said they would review how the exercise unfolded yesterday before making any decision on whether to increase the number of doses they distribute on Wednesday. “We have also been very clear that they need to respect all the SOPs,” he said.
