State minister for health Margaret Muhanga has castigated social media users who are decampaigning the covid-19 vaccination effort in Uganda. Minister Muhanga who made the remarks during the official handover of the 299,520 doses at National Medical Stores on Thursday from the United Kingdom government said that some social media users are scaremongering and misinforming Ugandans from not being vaccinated through posting propaganda stories about the vaccines.
Minister Muhanga thanked the UK Government for helping Uganda receive Astra zaneca vaccines and added that Uganda has now received over 2.2 million doses and close to a million Ugandans have received the first dose and over 320,000 have got the second dose.
“The government’s strategy is to mass vaccinate everybody above 18 years. We also thank the UK Government for the pledge of 3 million vaccines that they will deliver which will take us to the most vulnerable groups (50 and above),” Minister Muhanga said.
She added,
Government will continue to use a multi-pronged approach to secure vaccines through purchase from the covax facility, purchase through the European Union and purchase from manufacturing countries.
The representative from the British High commission in Uganda Andrew Ockenden had this to say;
The UK government will continue to work with Ministry of Health and different partners to continue to deliver what Uganda wants to address the health emergency in Uganda. The UK Government has spent over 548 million pounds to get 100 million doses of Astra Zaneca vaccine and 30 million doses will be shared globally by end of 2021 and Uganda will receive 3 million doses. The additional 299, 520 doses from the UK will be used to give a second dose to high priority groups and the most vulnerable, including teachers, people aged 50 years and over and those aged 18 years and older with underlying health risks.
The UNICEF representative in Uganda Laura Siegrist Fouche
had this to say;
UNICEF Uganda Office appreciates the 299, 520 Astra Zaneca Vaccines dose-sharing by the UK. The arrival of this shipment in Uganda is very timely as the demand for vaccination is currently exceeding the available supply of vaccines. I urge other countries to share more vaccines with middle and low income countries. No one is safe until everyone is safe.
