The government is considering a second lockdown as a radical measure to break the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic that has so far killed 359 people, and left at least 521 fighting for their lives.
Mulago National Referral Hospital and other facilities across the country are currently packed, and positivity rate has jumped from 1.5 per cent in April to 7.8 per cent as of yesterday.
The country’s heath officials said more contagious variants of the virus, especially from India, Nigeria UK and South Africa, are partly to blame for the accelerating spread.
Critics, however, say the government relaxed after January polls and many citizens have not been vaccinated.
Out of 521 infected people, a total of 186, including a newborn baby and a 14-year-old boy are either admitted to High Dependency Unit (HDUs) or Intensive Care Units (ICUs).
Dr Diana Atwine, the Health ministry Permanent Secretary, yesterday called an emergency meeting of the temporary Covid-19 taskforce to discuss the way forward.
Dr Atwine said due to non-compliance with Covid-19 guidelines despite the rise in infections and deaths, the lockdown is a possible preventive measure.
“If the public has refused to take the measures we have put in place, I think it’s the way to go. Some areas must be locked down unless people get back to observing SOPs (standard operating procedures). Otherwise, our systems will be overwhelmed and we shall see scenarios we have been seeing in some countries,” Dr Atwine said.