KAMPALA, May 21 (Xinhua) — Uganda’s ministry of health on Friday warned that the country’s isolation facilities and intensive care units are filling up due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases.
Ruth Aceng, minister of health told reporters here that the situation is worrying and the public needs to take great precaution.
She said the isolation facilities and intensive care units, especially at the Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala are currently full, following the daily increase of the COVID-19 cases.
“I want to appeal to Ugandans to take COVID-19 very seriously and take this resurgence as more dangerous than the first,” said Aceng.
“If people are not careful, we may end up losing very many people than we did before. Apparently Ugandans seem to have forgotten that we have COVID-19 and people are back to their normal lives,” she said.
She warned that citizens no longer want to adhere to the standard operating procedures to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus in the country.
“People don’t want to wear masks, sanitize and social distance. The situation is not good. If you are eligible for a bed right now (admission), you may have to go on a waiting list,” said Aceng.
Uganda on Friday started the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination, with just 488,986 people having received the jabs of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the east African country.
“My appeal to you is to take this issue (resurgence) very seriously and protect yourselves. If you are eligible for vaccines, get vaccinated. The vaccine is safe and effective,” said Aceng.
Uganda received its first 964,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the World Health Organization (WHO)’s COVAX initiative and the Indian government in March.
The Ugandan government has prioritized access to vaccines for more than 21.9 million people at higher risk, including those working in the medical field, teachers, social workers, security personnel, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions.
Uganda on Friday registered 147 news cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 43,370, with 42,429 recoveries and 350 deaths. Enditem