COVID-19: Positive cases at home to be evacuated today

COVID-19|HEALTH|UPDATE

The health ministry has made arrangements to evacuate all positive COVID-19 cases from their respective homes.

The ministry had allowed about 150 people who had tested positive to stay home due to shortage of space in designated treatment and quarantine centres, brought about by the increasing number of cases.

However, speaking to journalists yesterday, State House AntiCorruption Unit boss Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema said there were complaints made to President Yoweri Museveni, that several people who tested positive, including employees of various companies, were still at home and not getting treatment.

Upon contacting Dr Henry Mwebesa, the director general of health services, Nakalema said he reassured her that plans were underway to have them relocated to the designated treatment centres. She said the evacuation exercise was to be closely monitored by the Police, using patrol lead cars, to help them manoeuvre through traffi c.

"It is embarrassing that people who tested positive are treating themselves at home. They were supposed to be taken to Mulago Hospital or Namboole, where they had created isolation centres," Nakalema said.

Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the health ministry spokesperson, yesterday said Namboole, that was previously under renovation, is ready to be occupied. As such, those who test positive and those who were at home, will be relocated before the week ends. "Namboole is ready for use. Beds and mattresses have been fi xed, including other necessities," he said.

Namboole stadium, one of the areas gazetted by the health ministry to act as a treatment centre for COVID-19, is expected to accommodate 2,000 patients. Security at the premises has also been beefed up with Local Defence Unit personnel.

Ainebyoona said besides Namboole, the ministry has prepared tents outside other designated treatment centres, to admit more people who test positive.

The ministry yesterday confirmed 75 new COVID-19 cases from samples that were tested on September 1. This brings the cumulative number of cases in Uganda to 3,112.

The new cases include 30 contacts and alerts from Kampala, 23 from Buikwe, six from Buvuma, three from Jinja, one from Mukono and another from Wakiso.

A total of 10 health workers also tested positive in yesterday's results. To date, 1,528 people have since recovered from the disease, while 32 have died.