Covid19 Third Wave: Aceng’s Health Ministry Speaks Out, Names Districts with Surge in Cases

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has broken the silence on claims that Uganda was already faced with the third wave of the Covid19 pandemic.

Although Covid19 cases and fatalities have dropped as the second wave seems to be subsiding, there is extensive community transmission with cases and deaths reported in rural and urban areas.

There are fears that many cases and deaths related to Covid19 remain unreported although MoH official figures show that the situation is under control.

It should be noted that thousands of Ugandans battling Covid19 remain in their homes under the disastrous home-based care approach that MoH adopted after second wave cases overwhelmed an already struggling healthcare system.

The figures announced by the ministry’s spokesperson Emmanuel Ainebyoona during a September 02 press conference at the Uganda Media Centre speak volumes.

According to Ainebyoona, as of August 31, active admissions in both public and private health facilities stood at 449 patients (26 in private facilities). That might look like a success story.

However, since March 2020, 120, 208 Ugandans have contracted Covid19. Some 95,590 of these have recovered and 3,031 have died. Where are the 21,587 Ugandans?

According to Ainebyoona, reports of a Covid19 third wave are false.

He says that hospitals, including the Mulago National Referral Hospital, are not full.

“There is a WhatsApp message making rounds claiming that the country has already entered the third wave, a claim that is not true. We continue to observe a decline in the number of cases,” said Ainebyoona.

“The circulating WhatsApp message claims that Mulago National Referral Hospital is full to capacity, which is not true. Mulago Hospital has in the past week been having an average of 24 patients admitted and receiving Covid19 treatment.”

He also noted that there was currently a spike in Covid19 cases in a number of districts.

“The Ministry is currently monitoring an increase in Covid19 transmission in some parts of the country like Teso Sub-region in the districts of Soroti, Serere, Ngora, Serere, Kumi and Bukedea. Other parts of the country registering an increase in Covid19 are the districts of Rubanda, Kabale, Koboko, Obongi, Rukiga, among others,” said Ainebyoona.

“The Ministry of Health working with partners has already deployed a surge team to support the districts in containing the building clusters.”

LOOMING COVID19 THIRD WAVE: DISTRICTS WITH UPSURGE OF COVID19 CASES

WHAT ELSE DID THE MINISTRY SAY ABOUT COVID19 RESPONSE IN UGANDA?

Genomic Surveillance and Variant Strains

The Uganda Virus Research Institute has been undertaking genomic surveillance to understand the variant strains behind the COVID-19 cases in Uganda. The Ministry has also been screening travelers arriving through Entebbe International Airport. Between 12th May and 8th August, 318 travelers were found
positive.

For instance, 96 samples were sequenced through UVRI, out of which 13 samples yielded sufficient PCR products for sequencing. All yielded the Delta variant which mirrors the picture across the globe.

Testing at Entebbe International Airport and points of entry

An inter-ministerial committee convened by the Prime Minister has today postponed for two weeks an earlier recommendation by the Ministry of Health of testing all arriving travelers at Entebbe International Airport and others points of entry, pending a visit to the airport and testing site by the inter-ministerial committee led by the Prime Minister.

This means that the Ministry will not implement this new measure aimed at testing all in-coming travelers on 3rd September as earlier communicated. The status quo remains.

Update on Vaccination

As of 31st August, a total of 1,376,986 people had received their COVID-19 vaccines. Out of this, 977,889 received their 1st dose, and 399,097 people received the second dose. More details on the vaccination of priority groups will be provided following the data capture process.

Adherence to Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) and COVID-19 preventive measures

The Ministry of Health has noted that some members of the public are flouting the various measures instituted to control the spread of COVID-19. For example, some hangouts (bars and nightclubs) which are still closed under the statutory instrument by the Minister of Health are operating illegally and thus putting lives of people at a risk of contracting the virus.

We appeal to the general population to take individual responsibility by observing the various COVID-19 preventive measures.