I have pleaded with Ugandans not to die of Covid-19, many have ignored me - Museveni

Coronavirus outbreak

President Yoweri Museveni has said that whereas he has played his part in warning Ugandans against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), many have chosen to ignore his message and that this accounts for the increasing deaths from the virus.

“I warned you about Coronavirus but others accused me of interfering with their peace. Now see we have lost five MPs including Kivejinja and our good sheikh Muzaata. I have always been on radios pleading to Ugandans not to die of Coronavirus. They thought it was for jokes,”Museveni said on Monday while he commissioned the 107 Mubende-Kakumiro-Kibaale-Kagadi road in Mubende township.

“I now repeat the call that don’t die of Coronavirus because we are soon getting the vaccine. Protect yourselves.”

The President said putting on masks, washing of hands and sanitizing are easy ways to protect oneself from contracting the virus, noting that this should not be  a hard task to be done by every Ugandan.

The Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Judith Nabakooba said on Sunday that Uganda expects to get the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine by May or June next year, adding that priority would be given to frontline medical workers, the elderly and those with existing health conditions.

"Our country has reached a critical stage in the battle against Covid-19. The number of people dying on a daily basis is far more than those that are being officially recorded,” she noted.

She warned that now is the time for everyone to wake up and take the prevention message given to the public seriously or else they risk contracting the virus.

On Monday, the Ministry of Health confirmed seven new Coronavirus disease deaths and 197 new infections as the confirmed cases rose to 31384.

The number of deaths has also risen to  238 as government continues to urge members of the public to adhere to the set Standard Operating Procedures.

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