Uganda set to receive Sinovac anti-Covid vaccines that are being shipped from China

The Ministry of health spokesperson has revealed that preshipment has been done by Uganda embassy staff in Beijing China and the Sinovac anti-Covid   Vaccines are on their way to Uganda. The vaccines will be in the country any time from now to boost the immunization exercise.

Earlier this year, China announced a donation of 300,000 doses of Covid-19 Sinovac Vaccine to Uganda .

 

The life saving donation announced by Chinese special representative to Uganda H.E Yang Jiechi came in at a time when the country  is faced with shortage of vaccine with rich and developed countries embracing vaccine nationalism as many races to vaccinate their citizens first, leaving out the poor and developing countries to miss vaccinating their citizens in the first phase.

As of today, Uganda has only vaccinated just over 1.1million people out of the targeted 22million Ugandans.

The country is currently battling the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic which has claimed the lives of more than 2500 citizens.

However, authorities are putting in relentless efforts to see the target population vaccinated. The Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng yesterday revealed that legal requirements through which Uganda will be able to access 11 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been concluded

“The legal requirements between Uganda, the COVAX facility and the African Union have been concluded,” Aceng said on Tuesday in her address to the nation.

 

She said an order of 9 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine was placed with the COVAX facility, and that the country is awaiting feedback on availability.

 

In addition, Aceng said an order of 2 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccines has been signed up with the African Union and a down payment of $3m (sh10.6b) has been effected.