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BY TIMOTHY EODU
NAPAK: THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022
Napak district in Karamoja Sub Region has received a consignment of Covid-19 vaccines to be rolled out in the third phase beginning early next month.
The officials of the district, which is among those that performed poorly in the previous campaigns, are very optimistic that it will at least be able to hit the target with government’s and partners’ support.
According to the acting District Health Officer, Timothy Teko, the district performed poorly in the past two rounds due to a number of challenges including insecurity, poor roads and staffing gaps among others.
He called upon all responsible stake holders to work together to mobilise and sensitise the communities on the benefits of receiving all the Covid vaccine doses plus a booster.
Isaiah Loput, the Napak district senior health inspector, said that they did not meet their desired target previously because some of the hard to reach areas such as Poron Sub County, Lorengecora Sub County and Nyarkidi in Apeitolim Sub County do not have any health facility yet they have dense populations.
Loput said much as the areas lack health facilities, the district labored to take vaccines nearer through outreaches which he added are costly.
He added that outreach programs are also not timely to deal with the migratory pattern of the population which has left majority of them with only single dose.
He appealed to the government to consider those areas without health facilities to rescue especially the expectant mothers who often trek more than 15 kilometers to access the nearest facility for primary health care and maternity services.
STORAGE
According to Napak district cold chain technician Felix Oyepa, all the cold chain systems have been maintained and are in good shape to store the vaccines during the roll-out process.
However, the Chief Administrative officer Napak, Jack Bryaruhanga has tasked the DHO to reactivate covid-19 response teams in the district and Sub Counties such that the surveillance is stepped up to avoid implosion of another wave of the pandemic.
He urged all heads of departments and NGOs in the district to ensure that they integrate Covid-19 response and sensitization into their daily engagements so that the community is reawakened from laxity.
STATISTICS
The district received 16, 210 doses of Johnson & Johnson whose expiry period is up to May 2023 and 18, 654 doses of Pfizer vaccines which will expire in a month’s time.
Previously, the authorities had targeted to vaccinate up to 79, 856 but only managed 48, 131 for first dose, 9,456 for second doses and only 81 took the booster dose.
[su_lightbox src=”https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/10436734/” class=”NAPAK DISTRICT COVID VACCINATION PERFORMANCE”] [/su_lightbox]At least 60.3% of the total targeted population above 18 years has so far received the first dose and 13% have fully been vaccinated against Covid-19.
The district is also still stuck with data backlog of 9,994 persons who have not been entered into the system and some of them are said to be fully vaccinated.
