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Friday, 22 September 2022
By Richard Onapatum/TheEagleEye, Katakwi-Teso
The Covid 19 pandemic has claimed millions of lives globally, afflicted hundreds of millions and not to mention, disrupted human social and economic activities.
The desire to resolve this challenge and to return to normalcy therefore is of utmost interest and a craving for all humanity.
Dr Simon Icumar Omeke, the Katakwi District Health Officer While speaking to a number of village health teams- VHTs at St. Kevin health Centre in Omodoi Sub County in Katakwi District in a recent training on Tuesday 20th-September-2022, told the general public about the existence of the COVID 19 vaccines that are aimed at benefiting the community.
“Please inform and encourage your neighbors to go to the nearest health facility for the Jab because its important to get it” said Dr Omeke.
Among the historically fundamental interventions for interrupting epidemics have been vaccines. “So when the world developed and finally deployed vaccines against Covid 19, we have imagined ourselves near to solving the Covid 19 dilemma” he added.
Dr Icumar also said that they have set their tools of work to enable the activity run well and that vaccines have been distributed to all the health facilities in the district.
“eligible people are encouraged to go for the vaccination at their nearest health facility, Even children aged 12-17 years can receive the vaccines. Specifically, much as we have built a frame work for rapid development and deployment of vaccines, that has not guaranteed the effective control of the pandemic” Dr. Omeke said.
STATE OF THE PANDEMIC
Early in January 2021 Katakwi district had 1,084 samples tested and 71 were found positive, 65 recoveries and four deaths registered. By 21ST November 2021, Uganda had registered 127,230 positive cases of COVID-19, 97,307 recoveries and 3250 deaths.
The Ministry of Health said the high prevalence of Covid-19 in the country affects contact tracing of positive cases from communities. The ministry also stated shortage of human resource to do contact tracing are some of the key challenges in fight against Covid.
A recent report from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs highlighted that the Indigenous people experience a high degree of socio-economic marginalization and are at disproportionate risk in public health emergencies, becoming even more vulnerable during this global pandemic, owing to factors such as their lack of access to effective monitoring and early-warning systems, and adequate health and social services.
With no timeline in sight to end the pandemic, the local person who already faces the challenges of food insecurity, as a result of the loss of their traditional lands and territories, have shun Standard Operating Procedure SOPS leaving themselves at the risk of easily contracting the Deadly Covid 19 Virus.
