The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
India leads the way; Uganda ready to test COVID-19 medicine
The Indian government has initiated backend preparation for the largest immunization drive in the country, where five COVID-19 vaccine candidates are in advanced stages of development in India.
India’s Federal Health Minister Harsh Vardhan last month said the vaccine would likely be available in India by early next year.
On Saturday morning the federal health ministry said the number of COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 9,351,109 and the death toll has risen to 136,200.
India is in the grip of the ongoing pandemic and globally it is the second worst-hit country by COVID-19.
Meanwhile, President Yoweri Museveni on Sunday revealed that Uganda is close to developing COVID-19 treatments, with trials of the medicine set to start in the next two weeks.
“Our scientists have given me the good news that they have developed seven wonderful products, six of which are under trial, and one, an immune booster is already being used,” Museveni said.
In an address on COVID-19 and security from the Eastern city of Mbale, the President said the first three products are all anti-virals — killing the virus and limiting the damage of the virus to the body.
“They have told me starting December 15, 2020, patients under strict medical supervision will have this medicine tried on them,” he said.
The scientists have promised that in 40 days they will be able to prove that the drug works against COVID-19 and other viruses.
The fourth exciting product is a bronchial dilator- a drug that will keep a patient’s lung airways open without the need to use the ventilators that cause damage to other body parts where they are inserted.
“Our scientists have also developed two diagnostic tests- one which uses saliva and can give results in 30 minutes. There is always opportunity in adversity,” he stated.
So far, Uganda has so lost 201 people to COVID-19, and has had 20,145 cases with 8,989 recoveries.
In comparison, India is one of the worst hit in the world. By Saturday, India had 9,430,724 cases and the death toll risen to 137,152. They have 8,844,751 recoveries.
The USA meanwhile has lost 266,000 people, with a record 13.3 million cases.
Almost half of all cases and deaths are in just four countries, and almost 70% of cases and deaths are in the top 10 countries.
However, there are many countries all over the world, including Uganda, that have shown COVID-19 can be controlled with existing tools.
GAVI lists 92 countries for COVAX
In July the GAVI Board agreed on the 92 economies that will be supported the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC).
- Low income: Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Yemen.
- Lower-middle income: Angola, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ghana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyztan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Mauritania, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Bank and Gaza, Zambia and Zimbabwe
- Additional IDA eligible: Dominica, Fiji, Grenada, Guyana, Kosovo, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Samoa, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga and Tuvalu.
WHO vaccine deployment plan
WHO 2019 NCoV Vaccine Deployment 2020 by jadwongscribd on Scribd
