3 patients recover from COVID-19 in Uganda

Of the 30 patients treated in the Entebbe Grade B Hospital, 3 patients recover from COVID-19 in Uganda.

Three Uganda COVID-19 patients were released on Saturday 11 April 2020 after complete recovery from the disease. The three cases were treated at the Entebbe Grade B Hospital.

There have been no reports of death so far in Uganda. Case levels were 53 and 3 were discharged and none of the remaining cases was in critical condition or intensive care units, according to the Ministry.

Most of the confirmed cases of COVID-19 were imported by people who travelled to hazardous countries and returned mostly from Dubai.

Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng said that 3 out of the 30 COVID 19 patients treated at the Entebbe Grade B hospital were discharged.

“COVID-19 patients stay a long time. The 3 patients we are discharging spent 21 days; it takes time for the viral load to go down. That’s why we are working hard to see we don’t have an epidemic blowing out of proportion,”

Aceng said.

Aceng said three patients who were discharged asked their identities to be private that is why the official discharge ceremony never took place. And their rights deserve respect according to the Minister.

Aceng adds that 15 additional patients recovered from coronavirus awaiting discharge on Monday, April 13, 2020.   She said that they had pushed their release to Monday because they needed to prepare their communities.

She also said that nobody has contracted the virus in all the health workers who have handled COVID–19 patients.

During the ceremony, Premier Ruhakana Rugunda, Head of the COVID-19 National Task Force,  said the discharge ceremony of 3 patients is “an extremely pleasant function amidst a difficult war”.

Rugunda thanked the health team for their great care for the patients over the 21 days and the Director of Entebbe Referral Hospital, for creating a positive patient- environment.

“It’s a team (health care workers) the country is very proud of.”

He also praised the good connection between the Health Ministry, the frontline health facilities and President Museveni‘s strategic leadership in this battle.

Before that, Rugunda urged communities not to stigmatize the recovered patients COVID-19 but to embrace them warmly, as they had fully recovered and needed the support of the community.

“Discharge of these patients needs to be handled carefully. They need their privacy, I appeal to the communities to warmly welcome these friends who have been discharged and reintegrate them in their communities,”

Rugunda said.

“You have been assured that they are properly treated and given requisite tests after treatment and declared healed. So you have no reason not to reintegrate them to allow them to resume their normal life,”

he added.

Rugunda then asked the RDC’s, Mayor’s Councils and Local Councils to make sure the reintegration process is digested in their communities.

In his comments, Dr Henry Mwebesa, the Director-General for Health Services, said that the discharge process for COVID-19 is quite long.

It begins with admission and the patient stays 24 days in the hospital. Then he/she takes two samples from one another 24 hours. Each of the three discharged cases had a negative test interval of 24 hours.

“They are going home with negative tests,”

Mwebesa said.

Mwebesa says health workers prepare them to go back home after confirmation that the patients were negative.

The health team also carries out 14-days monitoring of the patient who has been released at home. They provide psychiatric support and provide information about Dos and don’ts during the discharge.

Officials from the CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO) and government healthcare professionals took part in the discharge event.

31 COVID–19 Patients were treated by the Entebbe Grade B Hospital with a 3 patients discharge, 28 remains, 20 cases are managed by the Mulago Specialized Women’s Hospital, 1 case of the Adjumani hospital and 1 case of the Hoima Hospital.

So far, 3,862 COVID-19 samples in Uganda have been tested and just 53 are positive with 3 recoveries now. 538 cases were under hospital quarantine while 571 cases were confirmed health team contacts.