We shouldn’t relax on observing SOPs
Traders conduct business in downtown Kampala before the Covid-19 lockdowns. PHOTO/ALEX ESAGALA
What you need to know:
- The issue: Covid-19
- Our view: We need to religiously practice and emphasize SOPs at all time. The public, especially those who have not gone for vaccination, should do so if we are to fight this deadly pandemic.
Latest statistics on Covid-19 cases across the country have shown tremendous reduction in infection rates, admissions, and deaths. This comes two months after government embarked on mass vaccination and campaign.
Currently, Uganda has 24,828 active cases of Covid -19 of which only 245 are reported to be in critical condition.
Mulago National Referral Hospital, the country’s largest hospital, on average has between 16 and 20 Covid-19 patients. At the peak of the second wave of the pandemic, the hospital ran out of admission beds and oxygen due to the overwhelming number of patients then.
Likewise, private health facilities have also registered significant reduction in Covid-19 infections.
Many medics have attributed the drastic drop in Covid-19 cases to the recent high turn up of citizens for vaccination as one of the primary solutions to fighting the global pandemic. Scientists believe that vaccination lessens the severity of the disease once one is infected.
While the latest development is promising, now is not the time to relax especially with implementation of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that include use of facemasks, hand washing, sanitising, observing social distancing among others.
We need to religiously practice and emphasize SOPs at all time. The public, especially those who have not gone for vaccination, should do so if we are to fight this deadly pandemic.
According to Ministry of Health statistics, about 2.2 million people have so far been vaccinated as government targets to vaccinate at least 21.9 million people.
President Museveni during his last televised national address on Covid-19 said government needs to inoculate about 4.8 million people, especially those in the vulnerable category such as the elderly, those with underlying health conditions like diabetes, pressure, HIV/Aids, and teachers, before they can fully re-open the economy.
Some sections of the economy such as bars, casinos and cinemas remain closed since they attract large gathering which would lead to easy spread of the virus. Institutions of learning too have been under lock and key for close to two years and leaners have been forced to adopt remote schooling.
This, therefore, highlights the need for everyone to get vaccinated which enables the full reo-opening of the economy that will in the end benefit all of us.
We applaud government through the Health ministry for all efforts rendered towards keeping a healthy population especially with the acquisition of the much needed vaccines.
