Kampala, Jan 30 (IANS): The Ugandan government said the country would receive Covid-19 vaccines in April or May this year.

A government statement issued here by the Uganda Media Centre said the vaccines would cost the country US $164 million and that nine million people would benefit, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

Priority would be given to people who face the highest risk like the elderly, persons with underlying health conditions, health workers and social workers including security services.

There are ongoing discussions on whether to allow private health facilities provide the vaccines to travellers and people who may not be on the priority list but are able to buy the vaccine.

The statement issued on Thursday said there are currently five vaccines in use under emergency use listing, pending World Health Organization approval. The vaccines include Moderna, Pfizer (US), AstraZeneca (United Kingdom), Sputnik (Russia) and Sinovac (China).

There are 10 additional vaccines in phase-3 clinical trial (pre-deployment phase) and 76 others are at different stages of trial in humans, according to the statement.

The Ministry of Health intends to set up three Regional Emergency Operations Centres in Bunyoro, Rwenzori and northern regions to decentralize and streamline the response to the pandemic. The centers will support the national level emergency operation centres, said government sources.

The country is grappling with the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases since the first case was registered in March 2020. As of January 26, the country had a cumulative total of 39,314 Covid-19 cases, 14,114 recoveries and 318 deaths since March last year, according to the ministry.

The ministry on Wednesday launched a clinical trial of a locally-made drug to treat Covid-19.