Uganda kicked off mass vaccination against Covid-19 on Wednesday, after receiving 864,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine last week.

Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng was the first to receive a jab at the main hospital in the capital, Kampala.

Priority was being given to health workers in the country and many of them lined up at Mulago referral hospital in Kampala to receive it.

Other groups scheduled to receive the vaccine are security personnel considered essential in supporting the Covid-19 response, teachers, adults aged over 50 years, and people with underlying health conditions.

The vaccination campaign will spread to health centres countrywide for the next five days.

Those vaccinated now will receive their second doses in May and June.

An additional supply of 2,688,000 vaccine doses from the Covax scheme is expected in June.

Uganda plans to vaccinate 49.6% of its population in a phased manner.