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US donates Shs2b Covid-19 vaccine tools to Uganda
A woman receives the first injection of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. April 25 Ministry of health data indicates that 276,306 people have been vaccinated in Uganda. PHOTO/FILE/AFP
What you need to know:
- Shs173b Contribution: Amount of money the US has given Uganda throughout the past year to help it prevent, detect, and respond to Covid-19.
The US government has donated Covid-19 data tools worth $560,000 (Shs2 billion) to the Ministry of Health to help in fighting the pandemic.
The assistance is part of $3.2m (Shs11b) the US government has committed to Uganda.
The data tools include 4,500 field guides for health workers delivering vaccines, more than 20,000 Covid-19 vaccine registers to keep a record of clients receiving the vaccine, and more than four million immunisation cards for recipients.
In a press release from the UN Mission, the US Agency for International Development (USAID)/Uganda Mission director, Mr Richard Nelson, said the tools will be delivered to districts through National Medical Stores.
Mr Nelson said his government, through the USAID has committed $3.2m to support Uganda’s rollout of the country’s phase one of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.
He said the first phase of the support is the printing of critical data tools used for the documentation, reporting, and accountability of the vaccine rollout in health clinics throughout the country.
“USAID’s support for Uganda’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign is part of our longstanding investment in the people of Uganda through our work with the Ministry of Health to strengthen its health information management system,” Mr Nelson said.
“The registers and reporting tools will support production of timely, accurate, and complete data for proper planning and accountability of Covid-19 vaccines given to priority target populations in phase one of Uganda’s vaccination rollout plan,” he added.
The US official added that the fight against the pandemic is getting more complicated and that it needs combination of efforts.
“The United States recognises that as long as Covid-19 is spreading and generating new variants anywhere, it poses a threat to people everywhere. We are in this together,” he said.
Mr Nelson also said support for the vaccine rollout will include working with 72 districts under USAID’s regional integrated health projects, and its maternal and child health project to integrate Covid-19 vaccines into the national immunisation programme.
“Globally, the United States has contributed $2b (Shs7 trillion) to the COVAX Facility and has committed a further $2b in the effort to provide safe and effective vaccines to people around the world, including Uganda,” he said.
Ministry of Health said the tools will be used for tracking the vaccine supplies, staffing and distribution and capturing data efficiently to ensure the right people are receiving the vaccine.
