This archive report was first published on 14 January 2022.
January 14, 2022
Uganda is facing a dilemma as it prepares to destroy over 400,000 doses of expired Covid-19 vaccines, a move that comes at a time when less than half of the targeted 22 million people have been vaccinated.
According to Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng, the expired doses were supplied to the northern part of Uganda but were not used.
The vaccines in question are mainly Moderna and a few doses of AstraZeneca, which have now exceeded their shelf life.
Health State Minister Margaret Muhanga had previously stated that the government was working on vaccination drives across the country, particularly in northern Uganda where the uptake was low.
She attributed the low uptake of the vaccine to its impact on the fight against the virus.
“Due to low uptake of the vaccines, we started vaccination campaigns across the country, starting with the Teso, Lango sub-regions,” she said.
At the time, the target was to have over 15 million people vaccinated by the start of January 2022.
