The Ministry of Health has announced that all Ugandan teachers and Bodaboda riders will be among 10 priority groups of people who will get Covid19 booster doses in the next three months.
Addressing reporters in Kampala on January 07, health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng noted that about four million of the targeted 22 million Ugandans have been fully vaccinated.
This translates into 18 per cent of the target population.
Of the fully vaccinated, just over two million have received the J&J vaccine, a single dose vaccine.
During his recent address on the Covid19 response, President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni announced the need for booster doses for the elderly Ugandans aged 50 and above.
Now, Minister Aceng has explained why it is important for Ugandans to take booster doses.
“A booster dose is a dose of vaccine that is given to someone who is already fully vaccinated after a specified period, in this case six months,” she said.
“This offers an additional protection against the threat of the new COVID-19 Variants like Omicron.”
Aceng has listed 10 groups of people that will be given priority in the campaign to administer booster doses.
They are:
I. Elderly aged 50 years and above
II. Security personnel
III. Health workers
IV. Teachers both in pre-primary, primary, secondary and post-secondary institutions
V. Boda boda riders
VI. Drivers and conductors of all Passenger Services Vehicles (PSVs)
VII. Bar and night club workers
VIII. Market workers and vendors
IX. Religious leaders
X. Media
She also set the next three months as booster dose immunization months.
“We shall start giving booster doses to the those who are ready to receive beginning February 2022. The elderly aged 50 years and above have already started receiving their booster doses. We shall begin with Health workers, Teachers and the Security Forces now, while the rest will start at the end of March 2022,” explained Minister Aceng.
“The aforementioned groups of people were recommended for booster doses due their high level of contact with the other members of the public during their day-to-day activities. The recommended groups are eligible for booster if they completed their primary vaccine series at least six months ago.”
