Health Ministry calls crisis meeting as Covid cases surge; Another lockdown looms
The Health Ministry Permanent Secretary, Dr.Diana Atwine has called for a crisis meeting for colleagues and World Health Organisation officials to discuss the way forward after a surge in the Cvoid-19 cases.
In absence of a cabinet, Atwiine has written to request colleagues to come up with a temporary national Covid task force to comprise permanent secretaries and undersecretaries to handle the surge in cases.
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“This therefore is to invite you for a meeting of this task force to be held on Thursday, May, 27, 2021 at 2:30pm in the office of the President conference hall,”Atwine says in the letter copied to the president, WHO and UNICEF representatives in Uganda, Centre for Disease Control Country Director and Director General of Health Services among other officials on the national Covid task force.
Another lockdown looms
The development comes on the backdrop of an increase in the number of Coronavirus cases registered in the country in the past few days.
For example the tests done on May, 24 indicated that Uganda got 207 new Covid cases, with 139 of these in Kampala.
“The second wave of Covid-19 is here. The young are now severely affected,” the Ministry of Health tweeted on Thursday morning.
Earlier, Dr. Henry Mwebesa, the Director General of Health Services had indicated that the new Covid-19 cases are increasing daily in Uganda.
Speaking to NTV recently, Dr.Diana Atwine said another lockdown cannot be ruled out since there is now a surge in Covid-19 cases.
“I think a lockdown is the way to go. Some areas must be locked down unless people really get to observing SOPs,” she said.
A similar appeal had earlier been made by the Health Minister, Dr.Jane Ruth Aceng asking the public not to disregard Covid SOPs.
“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 have to go on a waiting list,”Aceng was quoted by the New Vision.
She noted that isolation facilities and intensive care units are full to capacity due to the new wave of the virus and warned that those who get sick now might be asked to wait before being admitted.
The developments come a few days after Uganda on Friday started the second phase of Covid-19 vaccination .
Despite the presence of over 960,000 AstraZeneca doses, a few Ugandans have heeded to the call to get vaccinated.
