Belgium and French government have facilitated Uganda with additional 655,000 AstraZeneca doses to facilitate quick vaccination process among teachers and eligible learners to enable school reopening in the stipulated time by the president.
President Museveni while addressing the nation this week he said that 4.8 million priority population including teachers should first get vaccinated before we can open schools.
“I call upon all teachers and support staff to get vaccinated as soon as possible to enable safe re-opening of schools,” said Museveni in a televised update of the COVID-19 situation.
France donated 501,153 doses while Belgium donated 153,900 doses.
The French Ambassador to Uganda, Jules- Armand Aniambossou who represented the French government said at the handover that the consignment was part of the French donation of 10 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to the African Union.
“The donation is in partnership with COVAX and the African vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT). It is the concretization of the commitment made by the French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit in Carbis Bay last June to deliver 60 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to developing countries by the end of 2021,” the Ambassador said.
The Belgian ambassador to Uganda, Rudi Veestraeten said on his part that the 153,900 doses are part of 344,800 vaccine jabs Belgium plans to donate to Uganda to contribute to stepping up the vaccination campaign for teachers and reopening schools.
State Minister for Primary Healthcare, Margaret Muhanga received the consignment from the two country’s ambassadors to Uganda, at the National Medical Stores (NMS) on Thursday.
Muhanga said that the vaccines will mainly be used to inoculate priority groups waiting for their second dose.
Uganda has vaccinated at least 1.8 million people so far ever since the vaccination process started according to the ministry of health data base.