Minister for Health and Minister for International Development and Diaspora announce donation of over 335,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Uganda
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From: Department of Health
- Published on: 28 September 2021
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, and the Minister for International Development and Diaspora, Colm Brophy, have today announced that Ireland is donating 335,500 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Uganda.
Ireland is committed to universal and fair access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments and this donation is in addition to the one million COVID-19 vaccines that Ireland has already committed to donate via COVAX.
Along with this donation of vaccines, Ireland is also donating all of the consumables necessary to support the administration of 335,500 doses (plus a consumables contingency). This substantial consignment, delivery of which will be completed later this week, will ensure that vaccines reach the people who need them most and highlights Ireland’s solidarity with developing countries during this pandemic. Ireland has been working closely with the Government of Uganda since the mid-90’s and there are strong links between our countries. Uganda’s Ministry of Health, supported by the Embassy of Ireland, UNICEF and WHO has put in place an ambitious COVID-19 response plan. Our colleagues in Kampala are now poised and ready to receive and administer these doses to priority cohorts including health workers and educators.
Minister Donnelly noted that the donation represented a continuation of Ireland’s commitment to universal access to vaccines and praised the HSE for facilitating the donation.
Minister Donnelly said:
"The donation represents the next step in Ireland’s continued commitment to vaccine solidarity. Universal and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines is a priority for Ireland. This donation of vaccines builds on the recent government commitment to contribute 1 million COVID-19 vaccines to the COVAX global vaccine initiative. I wish to express my thanks to the HSE for the significant logistical planning to facilitate the delivery of these much needed doses to the people of Uganda."
Minister Brophy said:
"I am pleased that Ireland, through this donation of vaccines, is able to show solidarity with the people of Uganda, to help protect them from COVID-19. It’s only by acting together as a global community that we can each be safe from this awful virus. Reducing the impact of the pandemic will help protect hard won gains in the fight against poverty and inequality, gains in which Irish Aid has been proud to help achieve. That is why, in addition to the donation today, Ireland has also committed to share another 1 million vaccine doses in the coming months, with more next year. These donations will be through the global COVAX facility, so that they reach those who need them most. In addition and through the Irish Aid budget, I have committed €7million to COVAX this year, which will also help accelerate vaccination efforts in low and middle income countries."
Paul Reid, CEO, HSE, welcomed the vaccine donation to Uganda:
"The HSE is privileged to play a part in the donation of COVID-19 vaccines to citizens of Uganda. This donation, which includes all the consumables necessary to support the administration of 335,500 doses of AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), has taken considerable logistical planning and we are grateful to all those involved in this initiative for their support, in achieving this."
Notes
COVAX, co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi and the World Health Organisation (WHO), aims to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.
The Government of Ireland has allocated over €200 million to global health including the international response to COVID-19 since the start of 2020. Included in this, and in addition to our annual contribution of €3 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, while an additional €1 million has been allocated to the WHO to support the process of COVID-19 vaccine procurement and distribution. €7 million is being provided to the COVAX facility, form the Irish Aid programme, during the course of this year.
Our support to the global health effort has been informed by the understanding that for the poorest countries, the response must go beyond vaccine-sharing and address fundamental shortfalls in health care provision more broadly. Ireland continues to support multilateral health actors such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria to provide life-saving treatments and strengthen health systems throughout the pandemic.