Nkhata Bay Launches COVID Vaccination Drive for HIV Patients
Previous COVID-19 vaccination initiatives in the district employed both routine and campaign approaches across all health facilities, targeting 117,652 people from all categories.
NKHATA BAY, Malawi— Health authorities in Nkhata Bay district have launched a new COVID-19 vaccination campaign targeting people living with HIV and AIDS, a senior official said Wednesday, writes James Mizere Harawa.
Speaking at a full council meeting on May 8, District Health Service Officer Topson Dolo said the UNICEF-funded drive commenced on April 22 and will run until June 30.
"The vaccination has targeted 10 small health facilities in the district, mainly those with higher numbers of people living with HIV and AIDS," Dolo explained.
He said while the vaccines remain the same, this campaign specifically focuses on the HIV-positive population per the donor's interests and implementation needs.
"There is no difference in the vaccination. The only difference is the specific group, which are people living with HIV and AIDS," Dolo said.
"The 10 targeted facilities are what we call the high cohort or high volume of registered ART members."
However, Dolo encouraged those without HIV to also get vaccinated at the same sites during the campaign period.
Meanwhile, in a separate interview, Senior Chief Timbiri pledged to work with fellow traditional leaders to mobilize communities for the vaccination drive.
Previous COVID-19 vaccination initiatives in the district employed both routine and campaign approaches across all health facilities, targeting 117,652 people from all categories.
So far, 75,530 people have been vaccinated, representing 64% of the target.