Otunnu: Government should roll out a vaccination plan
Former UPC president Olara Otunnu has tasked government to expedite a vaccination plan ahead of receiving 3 million vaccines expected in September.
Otunnu noted that government had struggled to dispense the few vaccines donated to Uganda and without a proper vaccination plan, the awaited vaccines may go to waste.
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Otunnu made these remarks while appearing on NBS Morning Breeze, Tuesday.
“The work of government is to continue educating people on the virus and SOPs. The government must roll out a program on vaccination,” Otunnu said.
Otunnu added that without a vaccination plan, the current wave of the pandemic could also worsen, because Ugandans have started to relax again yet the government is not offering any solution.
“I see that people are beginning to relax again. The government should be at the forefront of telling people not to relax. The current wave could worsen.”
Otunnu said that the government was on top of the pandemic when COVID-19 first struck in 2020, but they lost the fight by the end of the year due to politics.
The 2011 UPC presidential candidate urged the government to step up if the current wave is to be contained.
“The leaders showed the country that COVID-19 is no more, you can relax. The people then followed suit. It wasn't a big surprise that the Delta variant struck us the way it did,” Otunnu added.
Otunnu now adds his voice to calls from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and student leaders from various education institutions who have also urged government to present a vaccination plan.
Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng said on Friday that the country is expecting at least 18 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine for 9 million people, in phases starting October this year.
Dr. Aceng also noted that the country will also receive 9 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine from the African Union, with 3 million of these expected next month.
Dr. Aceng however did not provide a plan on how these vaccines will be administered, to make sure that vulnerable groups such as teachers and students above 18 years get vaccinated first.
