Health officials in Western Bahr el-Ghazal state have so far vaccinated 243 people with the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine since the campaign started last Friday.

According to Dr. Vincent Taban, the state minister of health, a number of the government officials including himself, state governor Sarah Cleto and other cabinet ministers, and a large number of health workers received their first jab on Friday, Saturday and today, Monday.

“Only on Friday and Saturday we had a total number of 243 people who were vaccinated and as we speak, the vaccination is currently ongoing at Wau Teaching Hospital and the turn up based on our evaluation is good because within the two days which was the weekend, the turn up was over 200 people,” said the minister.

The minister said the initial target was the frontline workers, elderly people, and people with underlying medical conditions but that the vaccination is now open to whomever with illegible ages to come for vaccination.

“People who were the target were the frontlines, elderly people, people with an underlying medical condition and the government officials but we thought wisely and allowed everyone aged above 18 who is well informed and has made a decision to come and take the vaccine,” Dr. Taban added.

The health minister pointed out that the only challenge facing the vaccination team is the distance to far off places but that the Covid-19 response team is arranging to establish new vaccination centers in Jur River County, particularly in Kuajiena Payam, in the east and Kang Payam in the far north of the state capital.

Goc Deng Goc, a resident who took his vaccine on Monday morning, told Radio Tamazuj at Wau Teaching Hospital that despite the rumors about the vaccine having adverse side effects, the vaccine has no side effects.

“The people of Wau, don’t listen to these rumors, they said that if you get vaccinated, it will cause you problems. That man will have problems and a woman will have problems. This is not true, I have just taken my vaccine and I have spent half an hour and nothing happened to my body. I am appealing to the people of Wau to come for vaccination,” Goc said.

Meanwhile, the state ministry of health director for preventive medicines, Dr. Christopher Paul Madut, “The minister of health took the first jab and the rest of the ministers followed. We also thank the state Governor for taking the jab,” Dr. Madut said. “The vaccination is going on well, on Friday and Saturday, the number of those vaccinated reached over 243 people, and today (Monday), before 10 am, over 30 have been vaccinated and the line is still long.” 

Western Bahr el-Ghazal state on 3 June received a consignment of 2,690 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from the capital, Juba.