Sevo Address On Covid 19
President Yoweri Museveni will address the nation today at 8 pm on the Covid 19 situation.
In a brief communication on his social media platforms, Museveni says he will be addressing a number of issues especially concerning the covid19 pandemic.
‘’Fellow Countrymen, Countrywomen, Bazukulu, I will address the country TODAY at 8:00pm on a number of issues but mostly the COVID-19 situation. I call upon you to tune in to the different radio & TV stations for this address,’’ he said.
During his last address, Museveni ordered the closure of schools for 42 days and the suspension of inter-district travels.
Mass gatherings are banned, with an exception for weddings and funerals that are only allowed with a limited number to only 20 people.
Museveni also warned the remaining sectors stay open under surveillance for 1 week while observing SOP’s .He added that failure to adhere would lead to a lock down on them.
His address today comes as the country battles a surge in covid 19 infections, with both public and private hospitals filled to capacity.
The country is also faced with a deficiency of oxygen leading to an increase in the deaths of patients.
Currently, Uganda is operating at half oxygen capacity as most plants have broken down.
A survey conducted by the daily monitor shows that Uganda only produces 27.7 million liters of oxygen per day, which is slightly less than half of the current demand.
The biggest producer of oxygen in the country makes up to 18 million liters of oxygen at their Lugazi and Iganga oxygen plants a day.
The other producers are Oxygas, which manufactures 4.8 million litres per day; Uganda Oxygen Limited, which makes 2.4 million litres a day; and, Roofings, which produces up to 2.5 million litres every 24 hours. These total 27.7 million litres.
According to the ministry of health, Uganda needs 8,000 cylinders of oxygen daily to supplement what is already provided at regional referral hospitals.
But Health Minister Dr. Aceng says the country is facing a very big oxygen deficit which can only be solved by using oxygen in cylinders.
She however, says the country is also short of cylinders making access to oxygen in health facilities even harder.
A Covid patient takes anywhere between 20 to 70 litres of oxygen per day, depending on whether the condition is mild, severe or critical, giving an average oxygen consumption of 45 litres per patient.
Also, the cost of treating and testing for covid19 is quite high in private facilities costing between 2-5 million for treatment and 100,000 to 300,000 for testing.
The other challenge Uganda is faced with is the theft and disappearance of Astra Zeneca vaccines .
Police recently recovered over 803 Covid 19 vaccines from 2 pharmacies in Kampala . Meanwhile the Ministry of health has also demanded that KCCA accounts for 21000 vaccines that are missing in data records.
This week Uganda registered the highest number of Covid 19 deaths with 49 deaths being reported in one day.
The surge in infections and deaths, begs the question, Will Museveni will lock-down or not?
