Teachers in Kitgum buy fake COVID-19 vaccination cards

Three arrested in Uganda for selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards
COVID-19 vaccination client card

Kitgum, Uganda | URN | Teachers in Kitgum opposed to the vaccination against COVID-19 are buying vaccination cards without receiving the jab.

The Kitgum Resident District Commissioner (RDC) William Komakech and COVID-19 taskforce chairperson says that they have received information about teachers dodging vaccines and opting for fake documents.

Recently, the government issued mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 for all teachers and non-teaching staff as one of the measures to expedite the reopening of schools.

Komakech says the claims come amidst reports of low vaccine uptake among teachers in the district which currently stands below 60 percent despite mass mobilization and availability of the vaccines.

According to Komakech, the fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates are being sold by unscrupulous health workers at 30,000 to 50,000 Shillings each.

Fred Owot, the Kitgum District Education Officer decried the allegations and also warned teachers against purchasing fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates.

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Kitgum Municipal Principal Education Officer Harriet Okot Atim says that teachers who refuse to receive the jab will be denied access to classes when schools reopen.

Some of the teachers who are hesitant to receive the COVID-19 jab say that they are concerned about the misinformation of the vaccine.

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The Kitgum acting District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Henry Okello Otto, says that he is not aware of fake vaccination cards being sold to teachers. Okello says that he will investigate the claims and subsequently take action.

By Monday 20th, September 2021, 432 teachers and 129 non-teaching staff in Kitgum municipality had so far been vaccinated while 507 teachers and non-teaching staff were already vaccinated in Kitgum district against the targeted 1,189 teachers in the entire district.

On Tuesday 21st, the State House Health Monitoring Unit arrested three people accused of selling forged COVID-19 vaccination cards in Kampala.

Dr Warren Namara, the Director of the Unit said they received information that some people were selling fake vaccination cards each at 150,000 Shillings.