200 Ugandans beat Covid-19 each day

Mr Jackson Onyango, a resident of Kampala, was among the 670 Covid-19 cases reported by government on June 3, but he has now recovered from the disease.

“Around the end of May, I started experiencing cough and flu, but I thought they were the usual types that people always experience in some seasons [in the country],” Mr Onyango said.

“But after two days, I lost my voice. I still thought it was the result of flu and cough,” he said.

He suspected that the symptoms could be of Covid-19 when he lost the sense of smell.

“One time, I was moving with a family member and she said she had a strong perfume, but then, I could not smell anything. So she moved it near my nose, but still, I couldn’t smell,” Mr Onyango said.

Upon this, Mr Onyango, who works at NTV Uganda, said he stopped working as an important precaution to protect others from infection risks. 

Mr Onyango said he took a Covid-19 test and on June 3, his results returned positive.

He revealed that this triggered anxiety, which lasted for a short while before he normalised.

“Before taking a Covid-19 test, I was already taking drugs such as dexamethasone and ampiclox for cough and flu and they helped to manage the signs,” he said.

He said upon confirming his positive status, he took concoctions and recommended medicines (azithromycin) for treating Covid-19 at home.

“I was using ginger, lemon and garlic, which I could boil and take. I would just take a little in the morning and in the afternoon or if I was feeling chest pain,” Mr Onyango said.  

He said by keeping a positive mind, taking the prescribed medicine and concoctions, he has fully recovered from the disease.

Mr Onyango adds to the growing list of Ugandans who are recovering from Covid-19 infection in the country.

Covid-19 recoveries

Between May 15 and June 13 (in the last 30 days), a total of 6,051 people recovered from the disease, according to statistics from Ministry of Health.

On May 15, a cumulative total of 42,429 people had recovered from the disease since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, but by June 13, the cumulative recoveries rose to 48,480.

Up to 22,092 Covid-19 cases and 112 deaths were reported in the same period (May 15 to June13), according to statistics from the Ministry of Health.

This means some active cases are still being treated in hospitals or in homes. A total of 950 Covid-19 patients were in active admission in hospital as of yesterday, according to the government.

Nutrition

Dr Jackson Amone, the commissioner of clinical services at the Health Ministry, said the specific shift in diet when someone tests positive for Covid-19, include taking fruits and foods that are rich in vitamin and zinc.

Such foods include mangoes, oranges, lemons, ginger, potatoes, beans, and chicken, which strengthen immunity.

Dr Charles Olaro, the director of clinical (curative) services at the Ministry of Health, said:  “If one has a mild cough with no breathing complications like shortness of breath, they should take oral Azithromycin (500mg) once daily for five days or Amoxicillin (500mg) three time a day for 7 days.”

Dr Richard Lukandwa, a consultant physician and acting medical director at Medipal International Hospital, Kampala, said Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients are treated with drugs such as Propofol and morphine.

Up to 40 per cent of critically-ill Covid-19 patients admitted in ICU in Uganda survive, according to Dr Bruce Kirenga, the director of Makerere University Lung Institute.

The global average of survival in ICU is 40 to 50 per cent, according to Dr Kirenga.