COVID-19 Vaccine: Beneficiaries to First Sign Consent Forms

COVID-19 VACCINE: All eligible persons who will take the coronavirus vaccine will be required to first sign consent forms before getting vaccinated, Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng has revealed.

While addressing journalists on Tuesday at the pre-launch of the received Covid-19 Vaccine, Aceng said that all beneficiaries of the vaccine will be presented with forms to sign as a form of consent to be vaccinated.

“A Vaccination card will be issued after the information has been captured and the client informed when to return for his/her second dose,” she added.

Uganda has so far received 964,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. This will be administered on a select list of eligible persons including health workers, teachers and security personnel, among others.

“The AstraZeneca vaccines, which shall be administering starting on Wednesday is protective against severe forms of disease and deaths. It is safe to provide the vaccine to all age groups above 18 years, pregnant and lactating mothers. Vaccination is recommended regardless of one’s previous history of infection with the coronavirus. Testing before vaccination is therefore not required,” she said.

Aceng said the documented side effects of the vaccine like any other vaccines include pain at the injection site, irritation, fever and muscle ache.

“These side effects are mild, not experienced by everybody, and they resolve by themselves,” she said.

She said the beneficiaries will be identified using their National Identity cards or any other identification documents like Driving permits, Refugee Identity Card, Work permits and Passports. Other means will be the use of Local Council leaders (LC1) or VHTs.

For the unregistered Citizens, she said, a guarantor’s identity (preferably the next of kin, Local Council 1 or VHT), whose mobile phone contact is available, will be required before vaccination is done.

The official launch of the vaccination exercise will be on Wednesday at Mulago Specialized Women’s and Neonatal Hospital at 10 Am. Between March 10 and 15, health workers will be vaccinated. They will be followed by teachers and lecturers from16th to 19th March 2021.

Aceng said the countrywide COVID-19 Vaccination exercise will begin on Thursday (March 11, 2021).

“All districts/Cities will start vaccination of health workers from the March 11, 2021 beginning at 8.00 am with public health workers, followed by Private Not for Profit (PNFP) and end with the health workers in the Private facilities,” she said.