As of 13 July 2021, 1,085,382 Ugandans were already vaccinated against Covid-19. Of these, 34,139 have received both first and second doses.
Lira – 15, July 2021: In 2009, an outbreak of swine flu (known as A/H1N1) killed nearly 285,000 people worldwide. Vaccines were developed within months.
The vaccines first became available in high-income countries where most doses had been secured through bilateral agreements with drug firm aka BigPharmas. BigPharmas manufacture brand name drugs.
Ten years later, towards the end of 2019 Covid-19 hit with devastating effects on families, health systems and economies of the world.
“No single country was spared. Infact the hardest hit were the first world countries with top notch health facilities compared to poor countries,” Ambassador Julius Peter Moto, Uganda’s envoy to United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland says.
Total Covid-19 death toll to date is reported at 4,077,320. Vaccines against Covid-19 were developed in the first world countries: UK, USA, Russa and China.
Shockingly, Ambassador Moto adds that a lot of rich countries have stockpiled over 1bn doses more than they need even when majority of their adult population have been vaccinated.
“This stock piling is called hoarding. It is immorally wrong. It is corruption of the highest order! But as rich countries have rushed to inoculate their populations, poorer ones have watched from the sidelines,” he told TND News, Thursday.
The Diplomat says only a handful of African countries have been able to afford vaccines, and many lack enough “cold chain” capacity to store them.
This hoarding and delays, he notes “have became a necessity and an opportunity for innovations”.
“Ugandan trained scientists set to work to pull whatever they can to try to save their people.”
“For Covid-19, Uganda now has herbal therapeutic treatment solutions in a product called Covidex, and Covilyce developed by Dr Ogwang Engweo Patrick of Mbarara University of Science and Technology and Dr Alice Lamwaka of Gulu University, respectively.”
These products are now household supplies, he adds. “You do not buy stuff that are less useful to you. There are testimonies of how Covidex have saved patients in ICU!” Meanwhile, Covilyce is reported to reverse Covid-19 within 72 hours.
These scientists, the Ambassador told us have been funded by Government of Uganda to enter stages for clinical trials in order to establish efficacies of their discoveries.
“Another Primary Seven drop out called Mr David Ssenfuka also has some good news with home bred herbal solutions with positive results from Uganda government laboratory for the treatment of high blood pressure, cancer and diabetes – one of the major killer non-communicable diseases.”
“If all goes well, new drugs made in Uganda for the treatment of Covid- 19 and some non-communicable diseases are on the making.”
Consequently, he says there may be no need for the hoarded vaccines, and other expensive brand name drugs. “Foreign exchange for importing drugs shall also be saved. New jobs shall be created in the entire supply chain consequently.”
He concluded: “It shall open new opportunities for scientific innovations and research in Uganda. These are the right steps in the right directions.”
Ministry of Health data
As of 13 July 2021, 1,085,382 Ugandans were already vaccinated against Covid-19. Of these, 34,139 have received both first and second doses.
Also, 89,080 cumulative cases have been recorded, with 64,986 recoveries and 2,249 deaths.
Recently, the Ministry of Health said the country is importing 647,010 doses of Pfizer vaccines in July (this month).
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