Lt. Col. Dr. Kyobe warns on Covid-19 third wave

By Olivia Nabaggala

22^nd Nov 2021

The country needs better investment to respond effectively to the covid-19 third wave, Lt. Col Dr. Henry Kyobe, the National COVID-19 Incident Commander says.

According to Kyobe, the core capacities needed to respond to the disease have not improved even from experience that the Ugandan health system might not fare any better than it did during the second wave.

During the second wave, health facilities in different parts of the country were overwhelmed by the demand for Oxygen and Intensive Care Beds. At some point, the country was forced to borrow oxygen cylinders from neighboring countries like Kenya.

Kyobe adds that at the moment, hospitals should be increasing the patient beds in preparation for the next wave. He says due to low infections, some hospitals are reducing the number of COVID-19 beds.

Dr. Misaki Wayengera, the head of the Ministerial COVID-19 Scientific Task Force says on a scale of 1 to 10, the country’s preparedness level stands at 6.  According to Wayengera, the country’s bed capacity is still low and needs to be increased.

At the moment, the country’s COVID-19 positivity rate stands at 1.5. Kyobe says while the country is reporting a few cases in previous hotspots like Kampala, COVID-19 is still a threat with worrying trends reported in Lango and Teso where women and youths are the most affected than before.

Kyobe has insisted on encouraging vaccination to all to stop new infections without compromising the SOPs