The ICT and National Guidance Minister Judith Nabakooba has told Musicians to use their influence and preach the message of COVID-19 vaccination to the masses if they are to operate fully.
A leaked report from the MOH shows that Kampala,Wakiso ,Mukono ,Jinja Hoima,Mbarara,Tororo and Buikwe have the highest numbers of people vaccinated.
Kampala alone has had 31,012 people vaccinated.
In a presser held on Sunday, Nabakooba asked the private sector players including the artists, (musicians) to come out and use their spaces to call upon the public to embrace the ongoing covid19 vaccination.
Nabakooba says this is the only way the government can consider reopening bars,concerts and other sectors.
She says the current stalemate in vaccination is holding back the government from fully reopening the economy.
“There has been a lot of misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine. This could explain the low turnout at most of the vaccination centers. We have been assured by the Ministry of Health and our scientists that vaccine is okay,” she noted.
She says it is not equitable to leave the job of mobilizing and educating people about vaccination to the government alone
Her statement follows that of president Yoweri Museveni on Friday night saying it is still too early to think of reopening bars and concerts since the covid 19 is still very present.
Museveni said Uganda is becoming a hub for various new strains of covid 19 that are even more infectious than the original one hence the need to stay closed and vaccinate the masses.
The President said at least 80% of the risk categories,totaling to 5 million people have to be vaccinated before full reopening.
According to the ministry of health data, only 200.000 vaccines have been administered to the public out of 900000 that arrived, this makes it 10% of the targeted groups have so far shown up for vaccination.
The government plans on vaccinating 21.9 million people in-order to achieve hard immunity.
Dr Driwale Alfred, head of immunization at the MOH says the slow progress in vaccination is a result of poor community sensitization, especially at the district level.
”our problem is at the district level,the district leaders are not taking action to ensure people take jabs”he said.
Uganda so far has over 41000 Covid 19 infections,40000 recoveries and 338 deaths.
