Uganda receives over 647,000 doses of Moderna vaccine from US

By Hamza Kyeyune

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - Uganda received a donation of 647,080 doses of the Moderna vaccine from the US on Monday as the country battles a rising number of coronavirus cases.

The total number of coronavirus infections reported in Uganda has doubled since June, driven by the spread of the Delta variant of the virus, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

The donation was received under the dose sharing arrangement of the COVAX Facility, which was established to ensure the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to all countries.

The country has so far vaccinated around 1.4 million people with the AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines.

Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said the country plans to inoculate 22 million people and the donation will supplement the country’s ongoing COVID-19 vaccination exercise.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Moderna vaccine is stored in a freezer between -50°C and -15°C (-58 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit), making it challenging in terms of temperature needs, but Uganda’s National Medical Stores says storage is not a problem. The AstraZeneca vaccine is stored at the usual temperature of refrigerators which is 2°C to 8°C (36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the World Health Organization.

The country’s cumulative confirmed cases total 120,662 with 3,053 deaths.