The Ministry of Health yesterday on Saturday confirmed 36 new COVID-19 cases that took Uganda’s total number of confirmed cases to 593. Amongst the new cases, nine are frontline health workers from Kampala.
This brings the total of health workers confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 to 16 in Uganda. Though the Health Ministry is yet to come out with a statement explaining why their staff are continuing to fall victims, the Uganda Medical Association have in the past attributed the health workers’ infections to the poor training of frontline officers who are placed in COVID-19 treatment wards and inadequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Dr Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary said the country is now at a high risk of attaining community infections.
“Spread of the disease is now going to be easy with the more cases we are getting. Someone can easily get in touch in the community and spread the disease,” she said.
The other new cases, 15 are residents of Kyotera, eight residents of Yumbe District while the rest were picked from the areas of Mayuge, Pader and Buvuma. The Ministry says they all tested positive while they were under mandatory quarantine.