Uganda reports increase in number of new COVID-19 infections: Health ministry

Uganda’s health ministry has warned of an increase in the number of new COVID-19 infections in the country.
Health officials say the infection levels are similar to what was witnessed at the height of the Delta variant in 2021.

The health ministry says patients are presenting with both mild and severe symptoms of COVID-19. And the trend could now be similar to that experienced a year ago when a second wave caused significant numbers of hospitalisations and deaths.

There have been concerns about the emergence of the Omicron variant.

Health officials are however yet to say which variant is causing the current upsurge.

Spokesperson, Uganda Minister of Health, Emmanuel Ainebyona says, “We haven’t established yet whether it is a new variant. But genomic sequencing and surveillance are happening. So we shall be able to give detailed information based on those analyses.”

The government says it is prepared to respond to the new infections and plans to heighten existing controls and mitigation tools at personal and community levels.

Any lockdown or travel restrictions have also been ruled out for now.

The latest figures from the Ministry of Health indicate over 21 million doses have been administered in the country’s covid-19 vaccination campaign. -Reporting by Leon Ssenyange