Africa-Press – Uganda. The number of Covid-19 hospitalisations across the country is plateauing out, a Daily Monitor study has revealed.
Hospital administrators have attributed this to an increase in uptake of vaccines and mandatory Covid-19 testing of all people entering the country.
“Many Ugandans have become obedient and are adhering to the required standard operating procedures (SOPs), including wearing facemasks and sanitising hands,” Dr Richard Lukandwa, a consultant physician and medical director at Medipal International Hospital in Kampala, said.
The hospital received between five to seven patients a week during September.
“They would get admitted, treated and eventually discharged. We did not register any deaths,” Dr Lukandwa said.
Mulago Hospital had between 16 and Covid-19 20 patients. The hospital currently has 20.
“Four are admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) while the remaining 16 are in the High Dependency Unit (HDU),” Dr Rosemary Byanyima, the deputy director of Mulago Hospital, said.
“I remember a time when we had about 200 patients both in ICU and HDU during the peak of the second wave, but the numbers have gone down in the last couple of months,” she added.
The second wave brought an oxygen crisis and an acute bed shortage. Uganda entered its second hard lockdown on June 18, and restrictions were only lifted at the backend of July. Before that, Mandela National Stadium in Namboole was repurposed into a treatment unit. The unit has since been closed.
“It is now almost a month since we closed Namboole and we did so because patients were no longer getting admitted. The number of cases around Kampala have indeed declined,” Dr Ivan Kisuule, the head of Namboole Covid-19 Treatment Unit, said.
Dr Emmanuel Tugaineyo, the director of Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, said the facility had between six and 10 patients. “The cases have not been many. We may get six patients in a day, admit and treat them before eventually discharging them the following days,” Dr Tugaineyo said.
At Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Dr Celestine Barigye, the hospital director, said: “We have ten patients at the facility, but, overall, the cases were few throughout September.”
Meanwhile, at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, a maximum of eight patients checked in daily with the majority getting treatment and eventually being discharged, according to Dr Paul Ajuk, a senior administrator.
Mr Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the Ministry of Health spokesperson, however, said: “We are not yet in that space where we can say we are safe. We still need to have a sizeable number of people vaccinated.”
He said close to 2.2 million doses of respective vaccines have been administered. “These vaccines need to be administered to about 4.8m people before the economy can be fully reopened,” Mr Ainebyoona said.
The Health Ministry confirmed 59 new cases of Covid-19 with a breakdown of 22 in Kampala, (9) Kumi, (5) Ngora, and (4) Soroti. Others are Nakapiripirit (3), Oyam (2), Wakiso (5), Gulu (2), Kabarole (1), Kabale (1), Pallisa (1), Luweero (5 ), and three truck drivers from Amuru.
Current hospital admissions
• Mulago Hospital: 20 patients
• Medipal International Hospital: Five to Seven patients in a week. • Namboole Covid-19 Treatment Unit: O cases.
• Hoima Regional Referral Hospital: Eight patient.
• Mbale Regional Referral Hospital: 10 patients
• Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital: 10 patients
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