Uganda’s Health Ministry has denied reports that members of President Yoweri Museveni’s inner circle have been given COVID19 jabs.
Minister of Health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng says, “I want to categorically state that Neither President @KagutaMuseveni nor his inner circle have been vaccinated against COVID-19 as alleged by both @DailyMonitor and the American newspaper, The Wall Street Journal.”
She adds, “It is important to note that none of the above mentioned vaccines have arrived into the country. Currently, the @UNDAuthority has only registered the AstraZeneca vaccine for use in Uganda. NDA is still in the process of registering the other vaccines.”
Earlier, the Senior Spokesperson at the Ministry of Health, Emmanuel Ainebyoona told this publication that the reports are not true.
The US’ Wall Street Journal on Monday carried a story alleging that members of Museveni’s inner circle received jabs of the coronavirus.
In Uganda, members of President Yoweri Museveni’s inner circle were offered vaccines. In Uganda as in Peru, the vaccines were from China state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm, the report claims.
” No-one has been vaccinated,” Ainebyoona said on Tuesday.
He also said the country is most likely to receive the vaccine early next month.
Uganda has ordered for 18 million doses of the vaccine from both the COVAX facility and the Serum Institute of India. According to the health ministry, they will administer the vaccines eight weeks apart as is recommended by the World Health Organization.
Dr. Alfred Driwale, the programme manager of the Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunization recently told the media that the country will follow WHO recommendations and those of the manufacturer.
“We are aware of the study but the WHO recommendation will be our basis. We shall administer the vaccine at eight weeks and not longer. That is what we have decided and are organising for,†Dr. Driwale said.
According to Dr. Driwale, the most important thing right now is that the country starts vaccinating people. The health ministry says they are in the process of developing a mobile application that will enable them to easily follow up with people and ensure they get a second dose of the vaccine.
In addition, all people receiving the vaccine will have to present their national ID and also avail information about how they can easily be contacted.