Luapula Province Permanent Secretary, Mighty Mumba has echoed the need to collectively reinvigorate efforts in the fight against COVID 19 if the province is to attain meaningful development within its communities.
And The Luapula Provincial Health office has set out to enhance COVID 19 vaccinations with a 70 percent target to capture the province’s population under its current COVID Vaccination campaign.
Opening the Luapula Adhoc Provincial Epidemic preparedness virtual meeting, Mr. Mumba said Government’s desire is to attain 70 to 80 percent of the eligible population vaccinated against COVID 19 in order to reduce the risk of severe disease, complications, hospital admissions as well as deaths.
Mr. Mumba said health is a resource and wealth which President Hakainde Hichilema has committed to ensuring is protected from Public Health threats such as COVID 19.
The Luapula PS said there is a need to collaborate among stakeholders in scaling up the vaccination campaign and meet the set provincial target because of the pandemic’s potential to negatively affect the social, emotional, psychological and health needs of society.
Mr. Mumba implored all stakeholders to ensure the message emphasising the safety and efficacy of vaccines as protection against the severe impact of COVID 19 is disseminated to all target communities.
Provincial Health Office Principal Planner, Alex Mbulo who is also acting Provincial Health Director, said Luapula Province is re-energising its vaccination campaign in order to build on the 30 percent COVID-19 vaccinations previously attained.
Speaking during the multi-stakeholder virtual meeting, Mr. Mbulo says in spite of a recently successful anti-Polio vaccination drive which recorded a 123 percent vaccination of under five years children in the province and ranked Luapula third in the provincial coverage statistics, more needs to be done to reach the target in the upcoming COVID 19 vaccinations.
“We still need to do more in order to achieve the 70 percent coverage, hence enhancing the planned upcoming COVID 19 vaccination campaigns,” he said.
The Ministry of Health has slated the commencement of nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaigns from the 14th to the 24th of May, 2022, which respective provinces are to undertake.
And during a presentation, Acting Public Health Specialist, Mateyo Moyo says Luapula Province has sufficient stock of vaccines which must be utilised during the vaccination campaigns and avoid making them go to waste under storage.
When pf was in power we were making good progress. Now the upnd govt are more interesting in persecuting all those in opposition