UK Donates 299,520 doses of Covid-19 Vaccines to Uganda

The United Kingdom has donated 299,520 doses of Covid-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility.

The doses were received by the state minister for primary healthcare Margaret Muhanga, according to information shared by the UK embassy in Kampala.

The Ministry of Health recently announced it was expecting more doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines and the first batch of Johnson and Johnson vaccines “before the end of August and early September”.

The Health Minister DR. Ruth Aceng has said that Uganda already placed an order of nine million doses through the COVAX facility and another order of two million through Johnson and Johnson via the African Union (AU) with a down payment of $3 million.

The country has so far received vaccines in four phases, with 100,000 doses in the first shipment, 864,000 in the second, 175,200 in the third, and 586,080 in the third.

The first three were all AstraZeneca while the last batch contained 300,000 doses from Sinovac.

As of August 16, a total of 1,235, 052 doses had been administered in the East African country, according to the ministry of health.

Uganda'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 is also securing 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.

The categories eligible for immunization in the current arrangement are individuals who are due for the second dose (having made 12 weeks after their first dose), health workers, teachers, elderly who are 50 years and above, security personal, and those with underlying health conditions who are above 18 years of age.