Health ministry, NPA clash over Covid wave
NTV journalist Edward Muhumuza receives the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine jab during the launch of the mass vaccination at Mulago Women’s Specialised Hospital in Kampala in March. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Vaccine donation. Uganda is set to receive 586,080 doses of Covid vaccines at the end of this week, according to the Ministry of Health. Last Saturday, Mr Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the Ministry of Health spokesperson, tweeted: “Uganda has received pre-alerts for the arrival of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and Sinovac vaccine doses due next week on July 30 and 31 respectively. Shipping to be handled by United Nations Children’s Fund Uganda.” Many of the vaccines used in the continent are a donation from other countries and the Covax initiative.
The Ministry of Health has challenged last week’s pronouncement by experts from the National Planning Authority (NPA) that there is no imminent threat that the country will experience a third wave of Covid-19.
Speaking in a televised address to the nation yesterday, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, the Health minister, said the decline in cases as being witnessed during the ongoing second wave doesn’t mean the pandemic is ending.
“No one can say there will be no third wave of the pandemic or that this is the end of Covid-19. Covid-19 is still with us in the world. It can escalate anytime,” Dr Aceng said, adding that the pronouncement by NPA can only stand depending on how the population chooses to behave.
NPA projection
The prediction by NPA was based on the Authority’s weekly model projections, which indicate a continuing decline in daily new cases, with expectation of an average of 454 new cases per day for the week ending July 24. In the week of July 11 to July 17, the model predicted 4,011 new cases, but the actual cases reported for the week were 3,219.
“Important to note from the projections is that, currently, there is no imminent threat of a third Covid-19 wave in Uganda. The decreased rate of the slowdown of the new cases may indicate that people are now starting to live with the Covid pandemic and probably the enforcement of SOPs is also becoming weaker due to the former or weariness of the security forces,” the statement read.
Dr Misaki Wayengera, the head of government Scientific Advisory Committee on Covid-19, said even if the majority of the population was vaccinated, a third wave could still happen if people don’t adhere to SOPs.
On Monday, the ministry reported 71 new infections and 11 deaths, pushing the cumulative total of infections to 92,795 and deaths to 2,590.
On Monday, the ministry reported 71 new infections and 11 new deaths, pushing the cumulative total of infections to 92,795, and deaths to 2,590.
The figures reported on Monday were the lowest since the second wave started.
