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MoH confirms 1,727 new virus cases, explains delays in death reports
A file photo of Covid-19 response team conducting burial for a s virus victim in Uganda.
What you need to know:
- In a statement released Sunday, Dr Charles Olaro, on behalf of the director general health services, said accurate reporting on clinical outcomes requires thorough due diligence to avoid misrepresentation and misclarification.
The Ministry of Health has said 1,727 more Ugandans tested positive for Covid-19 on June 11, 2021, with five more virus deaths registered in 24 hours.
According to the ministry’s statement issued Sunday, the new infections and virus deaths have pushed Uganda's cumulative cases to 61,977 with 428 total fatalities registered since March last year when the virus outbreak was confirmed in the country.
There are currently 884 active cases on admission at different health facilities. At least 48,160 people have recovered since March last year.
So far, only 1,196, 926 Ugandans have tested for the virus in a country with a population of 41 million people.
As cases continue to surge, only 777,805 Ugandans have been vaccinated against the virus.
There have also been concerns that government is under-declaring deaths from the second wave of the pandemic now ravaging the country.
Whereas on some days government has reported no deaths, a number of people claim on the same days they have had relatives succumb to the virus.
This publication understands that many people who die with Covid-19 symptoms at home and in lower health centres across the country are not being tested due to the high costs involved.
A Covid-19 test costs between Shs80,000 and Shs300,000 per person.
However, in a statement released Sunday, Dr Charles Olaro, on behalf of the director general health services, said accurate reporting on clinical outcomes requires thorough due diligence to avoid misrepresentation and misclarification.
"The process of doing this, whereas should be in real time, most time is not achieved. This, at times causes delays in reporting," he said.
According to him, Covid-19 diagnosis is done using Polymerase Chain reaction (PCR), and antigen (Rapid Diagnostic Tests) RDTs.
"However, given different biological processes, timings, techniques, storage and transportation of Covid-19 sample, including when the suspected patient accesses the health facility and is instituted in care, the presence of virus may not be detected as the time (by PCR and Antigen RDTs AgRDTs)," Dr Olaro explained.
He said the ministry, working with the Covid-19 scientific Advisory Committee has finalised a clinical diagnostic criterion for suspected Covid-19 patients with severe Covid-19 illness but negative or no positive PCR or antigens.
"As such going forward, Covid-19 death will be reported in real time as PCR/ AgRDT confirmed, or probable Covid-19 deaths. This will be done forward and retrospectively for the non-classified Covid-19 related deaths. When this is done, there will be a readjustment of deaths and we shall report accordingly. The readjustment in deaths numbers in Covid-19 pandemic is not new as reported in Columbia and India," he added.
