Covid kills 25 people in a day as Uganda records surge in infections
Wednesday June 16 2021
A health team buries a body of person who succumbed to Covid-19 in Jinja District, Uganda. PHOTO | DAILY MONITOR | NMG
Uganda has registered 25 deaths, the highest ever recorded in a day, bringing the total number to 459.
Ministry of Health data on Tuesday said that by June 13 the country had recorded a total of 64,521 Covid-19 cases and 48,480 recoveries. Some 920 patients are admitted in hospitals across the country. The positivity rate stands at 21.5 per cent.
The country registered 71 deaths in one week, the ministry data shows.
Dr Charles Olaro, the director of curative services at the Ministry of Health, said residents have become reluctant in observing preventive measures.
With the pandemic in the second wave, experts say the infection rate has increased, which risks straining the healthcare system.
Dr Monica Musenero, the senior presidential adviser on epidemics, said one infected person can infect 10 to 15 people.
“The general situation is getting out of hand; there are places where the rate of infection is so high that if you picked any five people, two or more of them would be positive. Covid works by multiplying numbers,” Dr Musenero said.
“Our reproductive number (RO) is very high in that one person is generating 10 to 15 new cases instead of when one person generates only one case. That means the cases grow and we are reaching where Covid does its greatest havoc.”