Uganda to buy 2 million Johnson & Johnson Covid jabs

Uganda has concluded a deal to procure two million Covid-19 vaccines from American pharmaceutical company, Johnson & Johnson, through the African Union.

The government has cumulatively set aside Shs41b to buy Covid vaccines, which are being sourced from different countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Cuba, Russia, and China.

This is in addition to sourcing the vaccines through Covax, a facility set up by the World Health Organisation to ensure that poorer countries can access the life-saving jabs.

The country received the initial 864,000 Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines through Covax and India donated an additional 100,000 jabs.

Speaking last Friday, Health Minister, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, said: “The Ministry of Health has concluded that initial legal requirements to procure two million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine through the Afri-Exim Bank and African Union. 

Legal requirement to procure nine million doses of vaccines through Covax facility under the cost-sharing framework has [also] been concluded.”

The first batch of Janssen - the Covid vaccines made by the American firm - is expected in the country next month.

Uganda is also prospecting the possibility of buying additional jabs from Pfizer, another US drugmaker.

Uganda’s attempt to inoculate 21.9 million of its citizens against the pandemic, which has now killed more than 1,000 people countrywide, has staggered.

Initially, the population shunned the vaccines in March, before a mad rush when infections began spiking toward May. 

The stock was exhausted and an additional 175,200 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines have been shipped in from France, too few to make an impact amid high infection as well as fatality numbers and a second lockdown ravaging lives.

According to the Ministry of Health, a total of 585,600 doses of vaccines are expected this month. Of these 285,600 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca are expected under dose-sharing arrangement through Covax facility and a donation 300,000 doses of Sinovac by the Chinese government.

On Friday, Dr Aceng said the fourth consignment of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from the Covax facility - some 688,800 doses - is expected next month.