The ministry of health in Uganda has stated that the process of acquiring the COVID-19 vaccine for use on citizens is in advanced stages.
The declaration comes after several documents circulated on social media indicating that the Ugandan government had authorized Chinese national living in Uganda to import COVID-19 vaccines into the country.
The documents showed that a Chinese community operating in Kapeeka industrial park had secured clearance from the National Medical Authority and the president to import 4000 doses of SARS -coV-2 Inactivated Vaccine(VeroCell) from China to be used on their nationals and their families.
The said vaccine will be imported through Sino Africa Medicines and Health LTD.
In a document released on Tuesday, the Director General health services at the ministry Dr. Henry Mwebesa said Uganda has already quantified and applied for the Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine and the process is in advanced stages to have the vaccine available for Ugandans.
The document states that Ugandans will soon be informed of when the vaccine will arrive in the country.
The ministry stated that the vaccine which the Chinese want to import in Uganda is still under research and not yet approved for use by the World Health Organization (WHO) and therefore it cannot be imported for used on Ugandans.
Dr. Mwebesa said the Chinese nationals claim the vaccine they are planning to import into the country has been used in China.
On 8th December, 2020, the United Kingdom became the first country in the world to administer the new Covid-19 vaccine developed jointly by the American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech which could be a milestone in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
The immunization programme according to British authorities will be rolled out across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, other countries like Russia, China and America have earlier announced a breakthrough in finding the remedy in combating the deadly virus.