HEALTH | COVID-19 | DEATH 

KAMPALA - There were 97 new COVID-19 cases and nine deaths registered, Thursday (September 16, 2021), as the country continues to register a low number of new cases for the second month running.

“Results of COVID-19 tests done on 14 September 2021 confirm 97 new cases. The cumulative confirmed cases are now 121,784,” health ministry statistics show.

The cases per district were; Oyam (16), Serere (12), Soroti (9), Gulu (8), Mbarara (4), Kalaki (4), Kampala (18), Adjumani (3), Abim (3), Wakiso (5), Busia (2).

There was one case registered in each of the following districts; Butebo , Moroto, Mityana, Rukiga, Kabarole, Kaliro, Kalungu, Masaka, Mbale, Zombo, Kasese, Luweero, and a truck driver from Amuru.

For a month-and-a-half now (since the beginning of August), the country has continued to register a low number of new cases and deaths compared to what was registered in June and July.

Some 355 patients are still admitted to health facilities across the country, with less than 100 new cases being registered almost daily. The positivity rate has also since dropped from over 17% in June and July to 2.9% as of today.

This comes as more Ugandans continue to flock to vaccination centres to get a COVID-19 jab. A total of 1,697,748 persons have so far been vaccinated, health ministry statistics show.

“Out of the total of 121,687 cases that have been recorded in the country since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year, 3,115 patients have died, while 95,835 people have recovered,” the health ministry figures show.

The ultimate solution to overcoming the pandemic is vaccination, according to President Yoweri Museveni. Government is targeting to vaccinate at least 22 million people, with teachers now being given priority.

At the end of July, Uganda received a donation of 300,000 Sinovac doses from the People’s Republic of China, in addition to another 286,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses from Norway.

According to government, they have made orders for over 11 million vaccines doses (9 million for AstraZeneca and 2 million for Johnson & Johnson).

Another 18 million doses from Sinopharm of China are also expected, but the vaccines have been delayed because vaccine manufacturing countries are limiting access to the drugs.

President Museveni on July 30, eased some of the lockdown restrictions after a 42-day lockdown came to an end.