Inmate, students among seven new Covid-19 cases in Masaka

Masaka Regional Referral Hospital director, Dr Nathan Onyachi, discharging Covid-19 patients in January 2021. PHOTO | MALIK FAHAD JJINGO

What you need to know:

  • According to the Masaka District Health Officer, Dr Faith Nakiyimba, the new seven positive cases manifested in the eight people who were tested in the district on Thursday after presenting Covid-19 -related symptoms.

Tension is high in Masaka District after seven new samples including an inmate tested positive for Covid-19.

According to the Masaka District Health Officer, Dr Faith Nakiyimba, the new seven positive cases manifested in the eight people who were tested in the district on Thursday after presenting Covid-19 -related symptoms.

The other new positive cases include; five students from one of the health training institutions in the area and one person from the community.

Like the recent seven cases recorded in mid-March, Dr Nakiyimba, said the latest Covid-19 victims are going to be monitored by health workers through the home-based care programme.

“Our district Covid- 19 taskforce has started contact tracing and those who will test positive will be put on treatment,” she said during an interview on Friday.

Dr Nathan Onyachi, the Masaka Regional Referral Hospital director has asked the public to continue being vigilant by following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on top of embracing the ongoing vaccination against Covid-19 because the virus is still a big challenge.

“A big number of people has of late abandoned the SOPs which puts their lives at risk since the country isat the verge of experiencing a second wave of the deadly virus,” he said.

Masaka Regional Referral Hospital has since March last year recorded at least 224 cases of Covid-19, of which 34 died.

Another 209 were treated and recovered while 11 were referred to Mulago National Referral Hospital after developing acute breathing complications.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Health reported 26 new cases as the number of Ugandans infected with the virus rose to 41,263.

The ministry also said they had vaccinated a total of 206,708 persons against the virus that has so far killed 338 Ugandans since March last year when the outbreak was confirmed in the country.