France Commits More Support to Uganda’s Covid-19 Fight

The French government through its embassy in Kampala has donated more items to help Uganda fight Covid-19.

The French Ambassador to Uganda Jules-Armand Aniambossou on Tuesday handover 1 million FFP2 face masks, 54600 antigenic testing kits and nine Osiris3 respirators to government officials led by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja.

“Uganda, like France, and indeed the whole world, is facing a pandemic that is straining the health systems. This is why we need a joint response. International solidarity is paramount. As President Emmanuel Macron said, a multilateral approach is the only response to the current world public health emergency,” the ambassador said in a statement.

“France has played a key role alongside World Health Organization and others in support of the establishment of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator partnership to enhance access to tests, treatments and vaccines, under the covax facility.”

It is estimated that developing countries would need nearly two billion doses of vaccines by the end of 2021 in order to protect at least 20% of their populations. France has pledged 600 million euros and 60 million doses of vaccines by the end of 2021.

In June, the French government handed over 175,200 new COVID-19 vaccines to the health ministry.

The European nation has also supported the UPDF with alcohol-based hand sanitizers worth a half a billion shillings.

Last November, the Makerere University School of Public Health received 15,000 euros from the French Embassy to support the development of simple, rapid, low-cost Covid-19 diagnostic tests by a team of scientists led by Dr. Misaki Wayengera.

As of today, the country has registered 92,795 cumulative confirmed cases of COVID-19, 78,415 recoveries, and 2,590 have succumbed to the disease. 
 
Currently, there are 677 patients admitted in various health facilities, 631 in public facilities and 46 in private facilities.

1,135,036 have been immunized so far.

The government's strategy is mass vaccination of the eligible population (22 million representing 49.8%) as a means of optimal control of the pandemic and full opening up of the economy.

The government says it is doing all it can to access vaccines for the eligible population 18 years and above.
 
In addition, consideration will be given to children aged 12-15 years with comorbidities.