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Hospitals register increase in critical Covid patients
Dr Baterana Byarugaba, the Mulago hospital executive director
What you need to know:
- At Entebbe Grade B Hospital, there are more than 40 Covid-19 patients with 10 in ICU while Mbale Regional Referral Hospital has at least 12 cases on admission yet over the last month they had about three Covid cases on admission.
KAMPALA. The number of critically ill Covid-19 patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and High Dependency Unit (HDU) at Mulago hospital has shot up since government announced the second wave of the pandemic.
Dr Baterana Byarugaba, the Mulago hospital executive director, yesterday said the hospital currently has 84 Covid-19 patients.
“In November and December [last year] we had a rise in the number of patients but the number went down in January. As I speak we have 11 patients in the ICU, 70 in HDU and three at women’s hospital. The number appears to be going up,” Dr Byarugaba.
Health workers said since the beginning of the second wave, they have been overwhelmed with the increasing number of patients who require critical care.
A health worker only identified as Winfred said they are scaling up HDU wards to cater for the increasing number of patients that are received from different hospitals both private and public across different divisions of Kampala.
“When the new wave came, we were overwhelmed. On Friday I worked day, evening and night duties. The following day was no different. We were three nurses handling incoming Covid patients that night and we had about 14 patients who were badly off and needed oxygen,” Ms Winfred said.
She added: “The following day the number increased to 40 patients and at the moment, we have 70 patients here in HDU. Patients have occupied up to level two and today, we are opening level three.”
Mulago has an ICU capacity of 27 beds although according to health officials at the facility, these can be scaled up.
Dr Rosemary Byanyima, the deputy executive director of Mulago hospital, said before a patient is admitted to the ICU, health workers, especially when there is an upsurge, have to be mobilised to attend to the patient and thus the hospital must be alerted.
“ICU is not about the beds we have, it is about accessories. Yes they are in place but we do not keep them running. When you are bringing the patients that is when we switch on those equipment,” Dr Byanyima said.
She added: “Severity is still high, that is why we have so many patients in HDU care. In December we had 150 patients in HDU but we already have half of that number so I can assure you that the disease is already severe.
Dr Joyce Karungi, one of the doctors attending to Covid patients at Mulago, on Monday said they lost two patients and two had also passed away yesterday.
“My saddest moment is when I lost a 37-year-old. It is a sad reality when you work in an ICU because all patients that die almost stay in our minds yet they are our brothers, sisters. Therefore, stick to SOPs to curb or slow the spread of the disease,” Dr Karungi said.
Currently the youngest patient is a newly born baby, who was born to a Covid-19 patient mother. The baby was born through caesarean section.
Dr Byanyima said the rapid test confirmed the baby positive for Covid, later the baby developed yellowing of the eyes and body but has since improved.
The mother is also recovering.
Dr Byanyima said a number of teenagers have been treated at the hospital and thus asked the public, regardless of the age group, to observe SOPs.
Elsewhere
At Entebbe Grade B Hospital, there are more than 40 Covid-19 patients with 10 in ICU while Mbale Regional Referral Hospital has at least 12 cases on admission yet over the last month they had about three Covid cases on admission.
Health workers at the two hospitals said they have noticed an increase in the number of cases admitted at the hospitals.
