Covid, Ebola isolation facilities empty, says govt
Health workers at the Ebola isolation centre at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital on September 26, 2022. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- In a telephone interview with the Monitor yesterday, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, Mr Emmanuel Ainebyoona, said the Ebola and Covid-19 isolation centres are empty.
The Ministry of Health has said there are no Covid-19 and Ebola cases under admission in the county.
In a telephone interview with the Monitor yesterday, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, Mr Emmanuel Ainebyoona, said the Ebola and Covid-19 isolation centres are empty.
“For Ebola, we have not had any case or admission for more than three weeks now. We are expected to be declared Ebola free on January 11 next year if no new case is registered,” he said.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a country is declared Ebola-free if it does not register a new case for at least 42 days after the last confirmed case is discharged from the hospital.
Mr Ainebyoona, however, said there are still Covid-19 cases in Mukono and Kampala but the symptoms are mild. He said these are under home care.
He added that so far the Covid-19 positivity rate is very minimal and is under control.
He attributed the success in the fight against the two diseases to the vigilance of the population who responded to the government’s call to follow standard operating procedures.
Mr Ainebyoona added that the Covid-19 vaccine has protected those who were inoculated from getting the disease since it limits the chances of getting the infection or getting severe once the person gets the virus.
In Uganda, 8.5 million people are eligible for Covid-19 vaccination but only 19.2 million received their first dose, 6.6 million two doses and 453,000 had received booster doses by December 18.
In a separate interview, the acting executive director of Mulago National Referral Hospital, Dr Rosemary Byanyima, said: “Covid care has been integrated to the rest of the care and when people are immunised, the disease is not as severe so that is why the Ministry of Health recommended for integration of care.”
She added: “If a patient comes and tests positive for Covid, they are isolated in different wards like the medical ward, paediatric or surgical wards.”
Mr Halson Kagure, the head of communications and public relations at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, said the facility has registered two Covid-19 cases with mild symptoms. He said these are under home care.
Background
On September 20, the Ministry of Health and WHO confirmed an outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country.
A total of 142 people were confirmed to have contracted the disease of which 56 succumbed to it. Shortly, after the outbreak was announced, the government instituted a lockdown on Mubende and Kassanda districts, which were the epicentre of the outbreak.
