4.8 million Ugandans are now vaccinated against Covid-19 but scientists advise against re-opening

According to the recent data from the Ministry of Health,  at least 4.8 million Ugandans have now been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Initially, the country had set this number as a target for fully reopening the economy, but Ugandans will now have to wait longer, as scientists have advised against it.

State Minister for Primary Health Care Margaret Muhanga, told Nile Post in a phone interview that scientists have envisaged the coming month of December as one that may lead to an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases if the country drops its guard right now.

Muhanga said that; “It is also envisaged by scientists that December being a month of celebrations, there may be an increase in numbers of Covid cases.”

Muhanga said that fully reopening the economy will be guided by a number of models.

“The reopening will depend on the modeling and genomic sequencing that scientists will bring on the table in the National Task Force,” Muhanda added.

The State Minister for Primary Health Care also said that reopening the economy is not a mandate of the Health Ministry alone, she said that “there is the National Planning Authority, Ministry of Education and Sports, PSF, Security among others.”

She also added that Ugandans should note that the current 4.8 million vaccinated people do not include the old people above 50 taking their second dose, therefore the country cannot reopen right now.

“The number of older people taking the vaccine is still low, that is why our target is January to have hit the target of 4.8million all with both doses,” Muhanga told Nile Post.

President Museveni in his last address on Covid-19 said that the country will fully reopen in January regardless of the number of people that would have been vaccinated by then.

The Health Ministry recently launched an approach model of vaccination that has increased vaccine uptake over the past few months.