COVID-19 Cases Manageable – Doctors
Close to 95% of people who test positive for COVID-19 in Uganda do not require being admitted to hospitals, the Uganda Medical Association (UMA) has disclosed.
The revelation comes at a time the country is entering stage four of the COVID-19 pandemic with community spread in many parts of the country.
To-date, Uganda has 2,756 COVID-19 cases, 1,288 recoveries and 28 deaths.
Addressing a press conference in Kampala today, UMA said over 80% of people who test positive for the virus are asymptomatic and about 15% have mild symptoms which do not require a patient to be hospitalized.
Dr. Richard Idro the association president said government should find a strategy of caring for these people in the communities to save the resources used on them on admission.
“We should stop admitting every COVID-19 positive person to treatment units but admit only persons with moderate or severe symptoms. We don’t have the resources and cannont affort it” said Dr. Idro.
He added “as soon as the admitted patients improve, discharge them to continue care from home. This will reduce the patient burden at the treatment units freeing the limited resources and personnel to care for those that truly need it.
Dr. Idro said infected people who do not have symptoms or only have mild symptoms and have room in their homes, should self isolate and be cared at home. He added that communities should help identify places to isolate those who cannot be isolated in their homes.
“Doctors at the treatment unit can continue to make calls to and take calls from patients being cared for at home to follow on their progress” said Dr. Idro.
UMA also wants government to create mobile COVID-19 treatment and rapid response teams with ambulances. It says these COVID-19 evacuation ambulances should be upgraded to the level of ICU ambulances.
“Let them respond to calls from hospitals and Coronavirus positive patients that have been getting care from their homes and require evacuation to the COVID-19 treatment units or require check up from the unit” said Frank Asiimwe the Chair, Welfare, UMA .
Asiimwe said each team must have a COVID-19 trained doctor, nurse and emergence rescue technician.
