In Kitgum Municipality, in particular, at least 26 COVID-19 patients had for the five days been within the communities without being linked to care after Gulu Regional Referral Hospital authorities declined to admit them. But team from the Health Ministry intervened on Thursday and evacuated COVID-19 patients for treatment outside the district.
The patients from Kitgum District had been denied admission at the referral treatment unit on Monday due to space limitations. On Thursday, they travelled to Gulu from where the Ministry of Health had sent a bus to transport them to treatment facilities in Kampala.
The former Kitgum District Vice Chairperson Billy Graham Odongkara was admitted at the facility last Wednesday with the low blood pressure but died hours later Thursday morning from breathing complications.
Dr James Elima, the Director Gulu Regional Referral Hospital confirmed to URN in an interview that they are no longer admitting more patients because the facility is out of space.
Hon. Okabe says the recent NRM primaries and campaigns which were characterized by large crowds including school-going children with no respect for COVID-19 preventive guidelines is going to lead to a massive spike in infections.
The District Health Officer, Dr. Mathias Lugoloobi, says most of the Covid19 positive cases registered in the district are from police, prisons, banks, markets, shops and land-related offices.
Three top officials of Microfinance Support Centre and one teacher are accused of stealing 10.8 billion shillings that was meant for helping private school teachers who have not been earning anything since the lock down, through their Savings and Credit Societies.
Test results released by the Health Ministry on Wednesday indicate a total of 76 inmates at Kitgum Government Prison tested positive to COVID-19 out of 80 confirmed cases the district registered.
According to the Statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Jane Frances Abodo, says that members of the public, DPP field staff and stakeholders have been advised not to visit the office for 14 days.
Paul Samuel Mbiiwa, the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer says that only heads of department will be allowed at the headquarters while the rest will remain and work from home. He adds that the restriction will help to curb the spread of the virus
Dr Aceng says the government cannot afford to continue paying people conducting business. She says organizations have been approaching them with requests to test thousands of their staff free of charge, which isn’t sustainable.
Several of the Nrm supporters consisting of old, young, women and men wore no masks and failed to observe social distance in disregard of the health Ministry Guidelines on preventing spread of covid-19.
Waiswa Bageya, the Ministry of Works Permanent Secretary says that the Ministry’s Head Office, Mechanical unit and the testing laboratory in Kireka, Wakiso district have been closed for fumigation until September 7, 2020.
Col. Edith Nakalema, who heads the statehouse anti-corruption unit told journalists last evening that she had been asked by the president to coordinate the evacuation. She said that the Uganda police has been directed to deploy lead cars to ensure that people are picked and that the teams don’t get stuck in traffic.
The Chief Administrative Officer Martin Jacan Gwokto says that the restriction will help to curb the spread of the virus amidst soaring community transmission cases.
The Ministry of Health indicated last week that truck drivers, people in need of knowing their COVID-19 status, government and public organisations, Ugandans returning from abroad, and visitors from other countries will all be mandated to pay a fee of 240,500 Shillings for tests to be carried out.
