Tag: Uganda

Absa bank Uganda donates hundreds of medical oxygen cylinders to the ministry of health

Frank

UGANDA – Absa bank, a leading financial institution in Uganda and beyond, has donated 160 medical oxygen cylinders to the health ministry, rallying behind the nations fight against COVID-19. According to the Managing Director Absa bank, the donated cylinders will be distributed in 4 Regional Referral Hospitals (RRH), where each hospital will receive 40 medical oxygen cylinders. The bank has been a key partner in fighting coronavirus in the East African country. At the beginning of the pandemic, Absa bank Uganda donated PPEs for health workers together with a number…

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Uganda set to immunize children under 15 with Pfizer’s Covid vaccine

Frank

UGANDA – Uganda will start vaccinating children under 15 years of age against COVID-19 once the country receives supplies of the Pfizer vaccine, a senior government official has said. “Uganda is hoping to get doses of Pfizer vaccine and when we get them, we will vaccinate children. There are a few doses, so we shall only vaccinate those children who are at risk of severe disease,” said Musenero, the minister for science and technology. She said children with diabetes, high blood pressure, sickle cell anemia, or any other disease which…

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Hundreds of Ugandans duped with fake COVID-19 jabs amid shortages and spiraling cases

Frank

UGANDA – At least 800 people in Uganda received fake Covid-19 vaccines from unapproved people as the country is battling a surge in cases from the ongoing second wave. The counterfeit jabs were administered over May and June during a deadly surge of the coronavirus in the East African nation, when new infections soared to record highs of about 1,700 cases per day. The fraudsters targeted people looking to pay for immunization, including corporate employees, at a time when vaccines were in short supply, said Dr Warren Naamara, the director…

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Nile Breweries donates US$92,000 worth of oxygen cylinders to Uganda

Frank

UGANDA – Nile breweries has put its weight behind the fight against COVID-19 by donating 300 75kg oxygen cylinders valued at over UG Shs333 million (US$92,000) to bolster containment measures in Uganda. The leading beer manufacturer in Uganda is among a number of corporates that are donating to the National Covid Task Force with an intent to save lives. While receiving and flagging off the donations at her office, the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja said the donation, and NBL’s continued support and contribution to Uganda, will make a real difference…

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Danish Government accords Uganda over 5 billion shillings towards COVID-19 resurgence response

Frank

UGANDA – The Government of Denmark through the Danish Embassy in Uganda has extended a grant worth 5 billion Uganda Shillings, to the Government of Uganda through the World Health Organization (WHO) towards the implementation of the COVID-19 Resurgence Response Plan developed by the Ministry of Health. The grant is in addition to roughly UGX 9.3 billion, which was granted in April 2020 for the Emergency Response to COVID-19 outbreak in Uganda. The one-year project will support coordination of the COVID-19 response through: strengthening national and district coordination of the…

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Uganda set to receive over 600,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine to bolster national immunization

Frank

UGANDA – Uganda is expected to receive 647,010 doses of Pfizer vaccine from the World Health Organization COVAX facility to boost the country’s protection against COVID-19. Emmanuel Ainebyoona, ministry of health spokesperson, says the vaccines would mostly be used in the central part of the country where storage facilities have been installed. “Pfizer requires storage capacity of -70 degrees centigrade. We have installed some cold chains around Kampala Metropolitan area where we shall keep the vaccines once they arrive,” Ainebyoona said. He added that there were some parts of the…

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UNBS certifies 166 firms to make face masks and sanitizers to alleviate pandemic effects

Frank

UGANDA – The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has issued 166 companies with licenses to manufacture facemasks and sanitizers in the wake of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic “I want to remind Ugandans that as they are rushing to the market to purchase facemasks and sanitizers, they should look out for companies that are making products, which we have endorsed. These will not compromise their health,” Sylvia Kirabo, head of public relations and marketing at UNBS. Of these, 57 are certified to manufacture non-medical face masks. These…

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Study shows inconsistency in Africa’s use of treated bed nets, hindering fight against Malaria

Frank

AFRICA – East Africa has been reporting mixed results in its use of and access to insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), which have been crucial in the fight against malaria infections since the 1990s. While Uganda and Kenya are mentioned positively in surveys on the use and distribution of ITNS, Tanzania and Burundi feature in lists of countries that are recording drops over the past 20 years. The “Maps and metrics of insecticide-treated net access, use, and nets-per-capita in Africa from 2000-2020” survey released on June 11, shows that only 14…

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Ugandan health fintech wins $250K Swiss-Re Foundation Award

Frank

UGANDA – Health-focused fintech company, ClinicPesa, has won US$250,000 through the Swiss-Re Foundation competition – People’s Choice Award. The company purposes to use the award grant to finance the lending pool, until it can raise alternative capital with a debt fund. This will allow the company to ensure a smooth launch and enable it to accommodate the needs of the likely fast-growing pool of users. Another portion of the funds will go towards operations. Founded in 2017, ClinicPesa is a financial technology company that increases low- and middle-income Ugandans’ access…

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First ever HIV generic drug for babies distributed in Africa, says UNITAID

Frank

AFRICA – UNITAID and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) funding has enabled procurement of 100,000 packs of the dolutegravir formulation, a strawberry-flavored tablet for children living with HIV in six African countries. These aid agencies have distributed the first generic pediatric version of a key anti-retroviral, global across Nigeria, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Benin, UNITAD’s spokesman Herve Verhoosel said in statement. UNITAID and CHAI had reached a pricing agreement with the generic drug makers Viatris and Macleods for the dispersible pediatric formulation of dolutegravir. The first-line HIV treatment is…

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