KAMPALA, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Health experts in Uganda are scheduled to meet here on Thursday to discuss ways of addressing the surging number of COVID-19 cases after months of a downward trend.
Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of ministry of health, on Wednesday said that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered the formation of a temporary national task force to handle the resurgence of cases.
According to the ministry of health, the country is experiencing a second wave of COVID-19, which is also severely affecting the young, unlike the first wave.
Figures issued by the ministry on Wednesday showed that 207 people tested positive for COVID-19 on May 24, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 44,281.
According to the ministry, the majority of cases are in the capital Kampala, and isolation facilities and Intensive Care Units in the country are also quickly filling up.
Henry Mwebesa, director general of Health Services at the ministry, urged health workers to adopt prevention and control measures since they are at the frontline of the pandemic fight.
"The new COVID-19 cases are increasing daily. I strongly urge you to practice the infection, prevention and control measures and please get vaccinated now," Mwebesa said.
The ministry is also scaling up vaccinations against COVID-19, urging those who received the first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to get their second dose.
As of May 24, 537,440 people had been vaccinated since the country kicked off its vaccination campaign in March.
Uganda received its first 964,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the World Health Organization's COVAX initiative and the Indian government in March. Enditem
