The Ministry of Health’s Director for Health Services, Dr Henry G. Mwebesa has said that they have set up a team to monitor the side effects of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
Uganda rolled out the vaccination against COVID-19 on March 10, 2021, and since then, several individuals have expressed concern about the safety of the vaccine.
Speaking during the Monday evening SpotlightUG talk show on NBS Television, Dr Mwebesa said that they are monitoring the vaccination process, and are looking out for any side effects.
He said, the Ministry has set-up a committee for the reported problems.
“We have a dedicated committee monitoring the vaccination process for side effects. The ones that have been reported so far are minor problems of headache which we have handled.”
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health Dr. Diana Atwine also said that the Health Ministry has guidelines on how to manage any side effects of vaccination, and people should have no reason to worry about – “The benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks,” she asserted.
Atwine also confirmed that the ministry has been faced with many misconceptions and misinformation regarding the vaccination which has led to the low uptake of the vaccine.
Atwine said that cases of COVID-19 have started to increase in the past few days and although vaccination was rolled out, the public still needs to remain vigilant in order to avoid another wave of the virus.
Two million doses from the COVAX facility are expected in May for all the people who have so far been vaccinated for a second dose.
