As the number of COVID-19 infections in the country continues to rise every day, the number of frontline health workers getting infected by the disease is also rising. Currently, 22 health workers have been confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 in Uganda and are receiving treatment from Entebbe Grade B and Mulago National Specialized Hospitals.
The fact that their numbers keep increasing should not cause panic, because according to the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Atwine, most frontline health workers are asymptomatic, responding well to treatment, and are in a good condition.
In fact, their condition is too good that some of them are actually still working in the hospital wards even with the infection, although they are in isolation.
“Most of them are very symptomatic. They are there seated, actually, some of them are working. They are in the (hospital) wards writing reports, they are just isolated but they are working,” Dr Atwine said.
The only worry the Ministry has is that when more health workers get infected, others get demoralized and that is why they keep engaging them, encouraging, and counselling them.
“We want to tell our health workers out there that we appreciate their work and contribution, and that they should stay on the code,” Dr Atwine said.
Atwine added that all their contacts have been traced and quarantined.