Ugandans to stay safe embrace the lockdown-Dr. Aceng says

By; Jjunju Francis

02^nd April 2020

The ministry of health has implored Ugandans to stay calm during the lockdown because it is a mitigation measure to slow the spread of COVID-19 Pandemic.

The mistier of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng in a press conference held in Kampala along with a number of health experts in the country has said that President Museveni was wise to embrace the advise to order for the lock down because the country would not handle cases if the Pandemic circulated like it has occurred elsewhere.

Currently the country has 44 positive cases said to be responding well to the treatment, 1015 others are in quarantine and await testing to establish their health status, while close to 600 others believed to have had contact are also under surveillance.

The positive cases 95% of them came from outside like UK, Germany, US, China and Afghanistan while and handful have been discovered from within the country like Three in Masaka, Two in Hoima, One in Iganga and One in Adjuman.

Dr. Aceng says as a preventive measure they have decided to decentralized the treatment of COVID-19 and once a call is received for any suspect the surveillance team will reach out to the suspect and immediately take him or her to the designated health facility if he or she is asymptomatic testes will be made and transport to Uganda Virus Research Institute Entebbe without moving the suspect.

They have also launched “Tonsemberera” literally meaning don’t come near me, campaign to create awareness on top of other measures like setting up ICUs at Mulago and in all regional referral hospitals that are around 500 on top of 331 ambulances deployed at both central and regional areas to evacuate any person.

The health team has been re-enforced by 82 health officials from the Uganda People Defence Forces UPDF and with the approval of the cabinet another 220 health workers of all category of professional fields are to be recruited to beef up operations.

Dr. Aceng has reminded health workers that much as COVID-19 is here other health complications and diseases are equally taken care of like immunization.

Meanwhile Prof. Pontiano Kalebu said they have the capacity to test all samples and any type of jams or virus because the COVID-19 genotype has been analysed like it is to other viruses.