COVID-19 vaccine: "No national ID, no vaccine"

Coronavirus outbreak

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health Dr. Diana Atwine has said that Ugandans without National Identification Numbers (NIN) should endeavor to get one in order to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Dr. Atwine made these remarks while appearing on NBS Television's Morning Breeze on Wednesday.

"We shall require the National Identification Card or the NIN because we need accountability that someone was vaccinated. Those without IDs should at least endeavor to get the NIN," Dr. Atwine said.

According to the Ministry of Health, the first batch of at least 864,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in Uganda on March 5th, 2021 and vaccination will then commence on March 10th, 2021.

Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng said on Tuesday that Uganda targets to vaccinate 49.6% of the population which is about 21,936,011 people, in a phased manner.

Each phase, according to Dr. Atwine, is planned to cover 20% of the population which is about 4,387,202 people with the eligible population lying in the age range of 18 years and above.

Dr. Atwine said that the vaccine will be administered and a card given with a batch no. and when to receive the other vaccine.

"The vaccine is going to arrive the National Medical Stores, entered into out system and everyone who is vaccinated will be entered into the system. We have worked with NIRA to get the information," Dr. Atwine said. "They are two dudes so a card will be given with a batch no. and when to receive the other vaccine."

Dr. Atwine said the vaccine will be administered in phases, with the first phase targeting public and private health workers among other key frontline workers age Ugandans above 50 years who are vulnerable to COVID-19.

"We have talked to the District Health Officers to register all the private workers. We shall also vaccinate the teachers, other frontline workers like security personnel, URA officers, the elderly, those with underlying health conditions etc," Dr. Atwine said.

She said that health workers in the country have been trained and equipped to start vaccination as soon as the vaccine arrives.

With the numbers of new positive cases of COVID-19 going down each day since January, Dr. Atwine said that this is a good sign but not a time to be complacent because there could be a second wave.

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