Uganda to access Covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca - Ministry of Health
In this file photo taken on November 17, 2020 An illustration picture shows vials with Covid-19 Vaccine stickers attached and syringes with the logo of British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. Britain on December 30, 2020 became the first country in the world to approve the coronavirus vaccine developed by drug firm AstraZeneca and Oxford University, with a mass rollout planned from January 4, 2021. PHOTO/AFP.
What you need to know:
- According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are 48 vaccines under clinical evaluation in various countries with prospects of release this year.
The world’s population, years over, has been affected by a number of viral diseases such a Ebola and Influenza which, in some cases, have caused millions of deaths.
The severity of the attacks is often assessed ‘country by country’ or ‘continent by continent’.
To date, the most dangerous and severe viral disease outbreak has been Covid-19, which has affected the economies of almost all countries. So far, about 85,031,519 cases have been registered worldwide. Of these, 1,844,792 have died while recoveries stand at 60,162,137
The ministry of Health has today announced that Uganda will access the Covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca based on evidence available and recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Committee.
There has been a surge in reported cases of Covid-19 within Uganda with up to 88% or 22,000 cases during the last three months.
“There is an urgent need to access the Covid-19 vaccine for the people of Uganda, not only as a mitigating strategy against severe disease and deaths but also a public health measure to enable a safe return to normalcy” Ministry health said in a press statement issued on Sunday.
The ministry adds that Uganda will also explore other traditional vaccines options such as the one from China, when they receive approval from the World Health Organisation.
“The access of the vaccine will be done in an equitable manner starting with the most vulnerable and those at more risk” Ministry of health says
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are 48 vaccines under clinical evaluation in various countries with prospects of release this year.
