KAMPALA, UGANDA - MARCH 10: A man walks past a banner advertising the vaccination program on March 10, 2021 in Kampala, Uganda. Uganda began phase one of COVID-19 vaccinations today after receiving their first batch of 864,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax) facility on Sunday. The first round will primarily vaccinate the most at-risk populations, such as frontline health workers, teachers and the elderly. Uganda has reported 40,490 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 334 deaths as of March 9. (Photo by Luke Dray/Getty Images) 
By Fred Ojambo
Aug 15, 2021, 12:22 PM - Updated on Aug 15, 2021, 12:22 PM
Word Count: 215
Imports of chemicals would fast-track vaccine production in the East African country, President Yoweri Museveni said in a televised speech late Saturday. Uganda has administered only 1.17 million jabs out of the 21 million targeted before the country can fully remove restrictions imposed to contain the virus, according the Ministry of Health.
“My appeal to partners abroad is to sell us reagents, some of the chemicals to use,” the Ugandan leader said. “Because of speed for the first production we would want to buy from people who have established lines abroad.”
Lawmaker Emmanuel Otiam Otaala -- a medical doctor, former minister of state for health, and a member of parliament's Covid-19 committee -- said the proposal was feasible.
Africa’s biggest coffee exporter, which has a population of about 42.7 million people has so far received donations of about 1.73 million doses, mainly through the World Health Organization’s Covax facility. More than 80% of the doses were produced by AstraZeneca Plc, and the remainder by Sinovac Biotech Ltd.
Uganda’s total number of coronavirus infections has doubled since end-May to about 96,700, driven by the spread of the delta variant, according to the Ministry of Health.
© 2021 Bloomberg L.P.
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