Given the various processes necessary, some scientists have highlighted to the Central Government’s Public Accounts Committee of Parliament that creating a vaccine against COVID-19 will require more time.
Together with representatives from the former Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, the scientists spoke before the committee regarding a recent forensic inquiry conducted by the Auditor General over COVID-19 funding used in the financial years 2019–2020 and 2020–2021.
A resolution of Parliament on a report of the Parliamentary Taskforce on the National COVID-19 Reaction, which called for an investigation into COVID-19 finances, served as the basis for the forensic probe.
The primary goals of the forensic investigation were to determine whether all COVID-19-related spending complied with current laws, policies, and guidelines, to determine whether there had been any expenditure losses and identify the responsible officers, and to make suggestions for better COVID-19-related fund usage.
According to the Auditor General, the Ministry received additional cash for the Covid-19 scientific research projects totaling $31.032 billion during the fiscal year 2020–2021, which was intended to assist 23 chosen initiatives by scientists and inventors.
The funds were split into 15.78 billion for the purchase of specialist tools and equipment and 15.24 billion for operating expenses related to the development of vaccinations and medication diagnostics.
The creation of a national capability to respond to pandemics, according to the scientists’ statement to the committee, is a significant step in the development of vaccines like the COVID-19 vaccine.
Busitema University Chancellor and Principal Investigator Professor Vinand Mukatabala Nantulya stated that the nation has so far created a national capability to respond to epidemics through the generation of development of treatments, diagnostics, and vaccinations.
“I warned the President not to expect that developed countries would produce a vaccine before us since they were already ahead. Because Covid-19 is not the last outbreak we will see, it was crucial to build a national response capacity, according to Nantulya.
He continued by saying that COVID-19 will make periodic attacks and that it is crucial that the nation keeps working to produce vaccines, especially ones that would protect against future variations.
Nevertheless, Dr. Emmanuel Otala, the MP for West Budama South, and Medard Lubega Sseggona, the chair of the PAC Central Government, argued against Nantulya, arguing that the nation already had a research infrastructure in place before COVID-19 and that the process of generating a vaccine shouldn’t be laborious.
The Bukuya County MP, Dr. Micheal Bukenya, also recalled the President’s repeated assurances to the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic that a vaccine was being developed and would be available shortly.
According to Dr. Grace Nambatya, Head of the Natural Therapeutic Institute at Mulago Hospital, 124 patients under the lung institute have been tested for COVID-19 using a herbal remedy. She said that this is the nation’s first-ever clinical trial involving natural therapy.
Nambatya said that they would never have developed the product if the government had not made COVID-19 funds available.
Sheila Belinda, principal investigator of Novel Advenovector at the Medical Research Council, also informed Lawmakers that pre-clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccines are set to begin in April and that there is a vaccine candidate.
According to Dr. Jennifer Serwanga, Assistant Director at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), the difficulty in gaining access to the green monkey cells needed to proliferate the virus caused the development of the vaccine to stop.
Several of these biological items are unavailable to you because they don’t go to this region of the world. We are the first people in Africa to have obtained the green monkey cells, which took us six months to do. We currently have plenty of the horrible viruses since we have supplies of them, claimed Dr. Serwanga.
She reassured the committee that Ugandan scientists are capable of creating vaccines, but encouraged the government to prepare for facility growth and make equipment purchases.
Given the delay in creating the COVID-19 vaccine, MP Ssegoing to questioned the scientists’ ability to create vaccines to combat further epidemics.
How can you reassure us that you have now established the capacity to manage other emergencies if you haven’t developed the vaccine for COVID-19, whose traits we have seen and whose qualities you have already observed? inquired Ssegoing to.
As an ad hoc response to pandemics, MP Otaala recommended the scientists to use current research systems cannot benefit the nation.