The Ministry of Health has received the initial batch of 864,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, shipped via the COVAX facility-the world’s facility for universal access to COVID-19 vaccines.The vaccine doses were received at Entebbe International Airport by the Minister for Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero accompanied by members of the COVAX Facility and ambassadors of the European Union and countries whose funding enabled manufacturing, transport, and distribution.While receiving the vaccines, Dr Aceng underscored Uganda’s preparedness to roll out the COVID-19 vaccination exercise. “Uganda is fully prepared to launch and start administering the COVID-19 vaccines from 10thMarch 2021using its tested strength of decentralized health services to deliver the vaccines to the public” she said.The World Health Organization Country Representative, Dr Yonas Tegegn Woldemariamsaid “evidence has shown that the vaccines including this AstraZeneca vaccine to be able to prevent death from COVID upto almost 100% and effective for all ages above 18 years old.”

The UNICEF Country Representative in Uganda, Dr Munir Safeldin said “Uganda is among the top ten African nations receiving the first doses from COVAX, thanks to the excellent level of preparedness put in by the Government of Uganda.”The COVAX facility has allocated 3,552,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine toUganda for the period of January –June 2021. The remaining 2,688,000 dosesare expected by June 2021.In a phase based manner, the COVID-19 vaccine will initially be given to the most at-risk people including; health workers, security personnel who have been crucial in supporting the response, teachers who are essential for opening of schools. In the same phase, persons aged 50 years and above and those with underlying health conditions will receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The arrival marks a historic step towards the goal to ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally, in an unprecedented effort to provide at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2021. Uganda targets to vaccinate 49.6 per cent of the population, which is about 21,936,011, in a phased manner. Each phase is planned to cover 20 per cent of the population –approximately 4.38 million people.COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi

-the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organization (WHO) –working in partnership with UNICEF as key implementing partner. UNICEF is handling the procurement and deliveryof the vaccines and related supplies on behalf of the COVAXFacility.