Has the Covid-19 pandemic become real to you yet?

David R. Walugembe

In the last five days, I have lost three people who I knew on a personal level to Covid-19. I have also heard from friends whose family members, relatives and friends have either passed away or are currently admitted to hospital due to Covid-19.
There are also those who have shared harrowing tales of failing to get admissions to healthcare facilities because all the intensive care units are full to capacity!

Some of my friends in the healthcare industry have equally shared how the increasing deaths and pain of seeing people lose their loved ones due to Covid-19 is taking a toll on them! The idea of either relying on the recovery or death of one patient to create space for the next admission plus inadequate supplies of oxygen are causing them exhaustion and depression.

In case you have not lost anyone to Covid-19, nor heard of a person who has lost their loved one, or listened to such tales from healthcare service providers, the reality of Covid-19 and the havoc it is wrecking across Uganda and other places may still remain unreal to you. However, those who have experienced the above scenarios or listened to the stories of the helpless and desperate circumstances health workers are enduring, it is clear that the Covid-19 pandemic is an emergency crisis and that something more needs to be urgently done to avert the excessive loss of lives.

While it’s a known fact that the World Health Organisation, Ministry of Health, media and other partners have widely disseminated the standard operating procedures (SOPs) including encouraging people to wear masks, social distance, regularly wash hands with soap, use sanitisers, and stay at home, among others, these have been flouted due to many contextual realities. For example, the selective and militaristic enforcement of these SOPs and weaponising them for political gains have all contributed to the current state of affairs. Additionally, the continued failure of the lockdown measures to address the plight of various categories of people and their livelihoods despite several pleas to the government have not helped the situation.

Above all, the excessive corrupt tendencies including failure to account for resources that were mobilised or donated towards strengthening the national health system to manage the pandemic equally eroded public trust in the commitment of the government to fight Covid-19. Subsequently, the seriousness with which the public had treated the pandemic gradually diminished and people let their guard down. And that is partly how we got where we are now.

Since majority know how the Covid-19 pandemic has evolved to its current crisis level, it is pertinent that everyone assumes individual responsibility instead of only relying on the government to protect us. Whether one has tasted the wrath of Covid-19 yet or not, whether one has heard the harrowing tales by healthcare service providers or not and whether one is irate about the government handling of the pandemic or not, each one needs to assume individual responsibility first. Please, adhere to the SOPs as much as you can. Religiously wear your masks, use the sanitisers, regularly wash hands with soap, if possible, avoid crowded places, exercise social distancing and stay home. Prioritise your safety first and you will in due course, protect others.

David R. Walugembe is a health information scientist.
[email protected]