Coronavirus: FVP Machar receives AstraZeneca Vaccine
By Sheila Ponnie
South Sudan’s top government officials lead the first week of rolling out the AstraZeneca vaccination process against the Coronavirus pandemic.
First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny received his first dose of the AstraZeneca jab on Wednesday, 7 April at his office, including senior officials.
Dr. Machar urged the public to continue observing the Coronavirus preventive measures including wearing face masks and social distancing. “Getting vaccinated is good for us and good for the whole country,” Dr. Machr said in a media release Wednesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, South Sudan launched its mass COVID-19 vaccination program joining a multitude of countries in Africa to initiate the inoculations.
The Minister of Health, Elizabeth Achuei received her jab on the launch at Juba Teaching Hospital confirming that the country would be administering the AstraZeneca vaccines. She urged citizens to take the vaccine.
“I convinced the country by taking my jab. I took it so there’s no reason for you to fear taking it,” Achuei told The Insider in an exclusive interview.
She said she’s happy by the rollout of the vaccine in South Sudan because she was worried by the delay of its arrival.
“I’m glad our people will be vaccinated and they should take the jab because it’s really safe and they should take my example and the rest of the doctors and let us just trust in God and everything will be fine,” Achuei said.
South Sudan aims to vaccinate 40 percent of its estimated 12 million people against COVID-19, and at least 27,000 of its Health Care workers with COVID-19 vaccines in the first three weeks.
The country’s vaccination drive would prioritize essential groups, starting with healthcare workers, community mobilizers, people above 60 and people with underlying medical problems like diabetes, hypertension, heat, HIV, Kidney and liver disease and Asthma.
Makir Isaac Luith, Director of Juba Teaching Hospital encourages healthcare workers to turn up for the vaccination.
“We don’t want anybody to lose his or her life to COVID-19,” Luith told The Insider.
Other senior governments who took the jab are; Peter Marcelo, Minister of Energy and Dams and Angelina Teny, South Sudan Defense Minister.
Teny who received her jab last week before the launch says the vaccine is safe.
“I want to tell this information myself the chief and other senior officers have already been vaccinated. We got the vaccination actually last week and that is why you’re not seeing me taking the vaccine today,” she explained, admitting she experienced side effects.
“When I had my injection, I was feeling a little bit swore on the arm I felt a little bit nostalgic after the injection but that is all I didn’t really feel anything else and then later my arm is good, she testified and encouraged people not to fear the vaccine,” Teny said.
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