Mbarara District Councilors have passed a resolution that bans Councilors who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 from attending council meetings.

In the resolution that was unanimously passed, the affected councilors will also miss out on their sitting allowances.

The District Speaker Venansi Munanukye said the councilors without a certificate of vaccination will not be allowed to attend the November council sittings and will not get sitting allowance.

According to the Chairperson LC V Didas Tabaro, councillors must act as examples to their electorate by taking part in the vaccination campaigns.

The government is currently out vaccination in all parts of the country against COVID-19 in a bid to reopen up the economy fully.

As of 3rd October, 2,200,321 doses had been administered countrywide.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH RECEIVES ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO STRENGTHEN THE COVID-19 RESPONSE EARLY THIS YEAR

The Ministry of Health has received a consignment of cylinders of medical oxygen complete with accessories from the American Tower Corporation (ATC) through AMREF Uganda.

During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda faced a shortage of oxygen in hospitals due to the increased number of severe COVID- 19 patients in the treatment units. This posed a need for oxygen plants, cylinders and their respective accessories in order to provide critical and life-saving care to the patients in need.

While receiving the oxygen cylinders on behalf of the Ministry of Health, the Director General Health Services, Dr. Henry G. Mwebesa noted that the 88 cylinders received from the donors will be distributed to three hospitals. “Thirty cylinders will be given to Kiruddu [National Referral] Hospital, 29 will go to Gulu [Regional Referral] Hospital and 29 to Arua [Regional Referral] Hospital” he informed.

“We still have a number of COVID- 19 patients who are severe and require oxygen so it is a very generous contribution and we appreciate it” he added.

Dr. Mwebesa further noted that the consignment worth UGX 160 million is an addition to the previous support received from ATC at the height of the pandemic. ATC previously supported the COVID-19 response with an assortment of Personal Protective Equipment for health workers stationed at the various Government Health Facilities.