Covid-19 leaves us in a state of panic; will the war be won?

In a TV interview Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja alluded to the reason Ntenjeru North MP Amos Lugoloobi (Minister of State Planning designate) read the National Budget speech last week. 

Mr Lugoloobi is a “Covid kawonawo” who was  hijacked on her orders from a private hospital where he  was languishing with Covid-19 to Mulago, which until recent events, had developed some capacity to handle Covid patients. 

The Prime Minister described the eventual death of Kirunda Kivejinja, the former Second Deputy Prime Minister, last year as a gradual crumbing of his lungs before her eyes while he remained alert and conversational up to his death.

The details of Covid-19, a virus primed on the respiratory function where the it feeds on certain proteins housed in the chest cavity, are still unfolding. So is the method of transmission (confirmed mostly air and water even though physical evidence is scanty about the latter). 

Covid does not require only  physical interaction to spread, a major roadblock to stemming its transmission. Actually even the facemasks people adorn can be infected with Covid if not well-handled as the virus is said to remain “alert” on surfaces. 

Many people reuse disposable masks or cloth masks. Covid-19 is the first virus to attract a cotley of vaccines. Yet the arrival of AstraZeneca in poor third world countries has not had the expected effect given confusion on mode and manner of administration. 

Many people vaccinated (still a tiny fraction of the general population about 1/7th of 10 per cent of all Ugandans) are still contracting Covid. 

In its second wave, Covid has attacked the young prompting orders to close all schools; a decision being blamed for dispersing Covid into the general population. This decision is also being blamed for financial ruin of the private education sector where school providers (a policy which has to be changed) are offering a public service on private resources. 

Covid has shown little respect for persons with chronic illnesses, obese etc., but in the same vein it has claimed sportsmen, fitness enthusiasts and persons who have access to the best healthcare.

In panic mode, segments of the entire country have become self-medicating patients loading up on a lot of placeboes including vitamins, zinc and even more dangerous drugs like steroids often administered to treat inflammation but with serious side effects. 

A popular steroid prednisone and other forms of mangnesium highly restricted in the West is very popular and very cheap in Uganda. Often used to aid persons with asthma attacks (Covid has  some correlation to asthma) in its attack on the lungs (it fills them with  mucus, a form of pus post infection), prednisone is highly effective but carries severe side effects if mismanaged. Its efficacy once reduced puts in the category of temporary relief and absorbing water which steroids assist in getting lungs back to full capacity has other side effects like weight gain. 

Uganda has become cheap prey due to a largely dysfunctional health system borne of years of investing in other things. However, attacking Covid today requires some urgent measures. First is to put the country on military footing to (devise a vaccine to give some protection domestically) and administer it to the general population. Second is to recalibrate industrial establishments (to produce medical oxygen to serve those under attack). I am happy UPDF is stepping up to relieve government and the private sector in this regard. Third is to deploy military corps to administer and treat Covid patients in their communities. First aid training (in the US they are called combat lifesavers) takes just two days, someone can diagnose, administer injections etc. for the duration of the pandemic. Doctors and nurses like everybody else are overwhelmed and very soon (if not already) they will start dropping like flies as their immune systems mirror those of the general population.  

Certain aspects of this war are similar to a state of emergency but this is not an emergency, it’s a pandemic. The enemy is internal, here within

Mr Ssemogerere is an Attorney-At-Law and an Advocate. 

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