There is hope for our nation to conquer this disease and emerge stronger

Uganda has registered a 34% per cent recovery in Covid-19 cases in the past week, government statistics show.

The country recorded a total of 65,631cases from AUGUST 2020 to JUNE 12 2021, the number of those that have recovered from covid-19 is 48,649.

According to the statistics, the country registered its highest number of Covid-19 cases between February and May 2021 with 508 registered deaths.

Experts say

The surge in covid-19 cases was as a result of people refusing and losing interest in testing for covid-19 as was the case during the first wave. Prof Pontiano Kaleebu, the director of Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), said the interest of people to test for Covid-19 had declined. He attributed this to the shutdown of the Internet that had affected transmission of the test results to hospitals and to people. 

However there have been several measures put in place by the ministry of health to curb the deaths due to covid-19. 

According to Dr Bruce Kirenga,new clinically tested and approved drugs have been introduced and used to aid the recovery of more than 48,649 people in a space of 2months, more to that is the recent covid-19 vaccination that has moved from the most vulnerable groups to the entire public , “Every time you watch a patient you have been struggling to save gasping for breath yet they are on oxygen, and they literally drown as they ‘fail to breathe their last,’ you cannot suppress the fear that however much personal protective equipment you have, you could have contracted from them.”With obvious relief she says, “I am so happy that as of today, I am protected!” said Dr. Namusisi says, a general practitioner at Mulago Hospital who has been treating Covid-19 patients for a year now, she said this during the launch of the COVID-19 vaccination clarion call that “Covax

Ministry of Health speaks

Dr Bruce Kirenga, the director of Makerere University Lung Institute, who is treating Covid-19 patients at Mulago hospital, said he is training health workers on how to use Remdesivir to treat Covid-19 patients.

 “I am hopeful that Covid-19 deaths will start to go down because we already have a more effective treatment. I am starting to train the first group of health specialists on how to use the drug to treat Covid-19 patients,” Dr Kirenga said. “we will have administered some doses. If people continue to come early when they experience Covid-19 symptoms, we will curb Covid-19 deaths. [Rising] mortality is a reflection of generalised community transmission and a situation where people with the disease stay at home and come to the hospital in the last hour of their lives,” he added.

Remdesivir is an investigational drug that was first developed for Ebola but has been issued an emergency use for the management of Covid-19 from a number of drug regulatory authorities worldwide including the US Food and Drug Administration. The National Drug Authority (NDA) has also approved the importation and use of Remdesivir injection in the country for treatment of Covid-19 cases. In a letter to all pharmaceutical importers on September 30, Dr David Nahamya, the NDA secretary, said the injection will strictly be imported for use within healthcare facilities designated for management of Covid-19 where patients can be closely monitored. 

“There is growing clinical and scientific evidence indicating that Remdesivir injection shows potential for positive clinical outcomes in the management of Covid-19,” Dr Nahamya said.