Uganda to destroy $7.3m out dated COVID vaccines

Uganda will destroy Covid vaccinations worth $7.3 million after they expired.

The east African nation’s government obtained around 5.6 million doses of these COVID-19 vaccines through a World Bank loan

In a report submitted to parliament on Tuesday by Uganda’s Auditor General, John Muwanga, an additional concern about drugs totaling $8.6 million, primarily HIV antiretroviral drugs, which have also expired due to changes in World Health Organization recommended treatment guidelines was also raised.

Ugandan authorities expect the total losses from expired COVID-19 vaccines to surpass $78m by the end of 2024. 

Some 59 per cent of the eligible population in Uganda is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the official figures

In 2021, over 40 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines stored in government facilities across East Africa were at risk of expiry according to a media report by the East African

Africanews/Hauwa M.