Covid-19 Rapid Response in the Great Lakes Region Project
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NEWSLETTER Vol #13 2nd- 8th JAN 2021 Love Your Life V Covid-19 Rapid Response in the Great Lakes Region Project Spice FM with Funding from the European Union through Internews Uganda is implementing a Covid- 19 Rapid Response project in the Great Lakes region with an objective of improving access to precise, reliable and contextualized information as well as the sensitization of communities to conflict prevention and also make it possible to reduce the impact of the Covid19 pandemic on vulnerable communities in the Great Lakes Region. In Uganda, the project is being implemented in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, Kikuube district. Each week, Spice FM airs a weekly 20 minutes audio on Friday at 7pm on Spice FM, using Boda Boda Talk Talk initiative and at the Repeater Station in Maratatu. 8th January, 2021 Urban Refugees Demand Security Boost Ahead of Alice who is also a refugee from Burundi living at Elections Salama Road in Makindye wants the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Urban refugees living in Kampala have asked (UNHCR) to resettle them to another secure security personnel to provide them with security country and return to Uganda when the ahead of next week’s elections. The refugees are elections have ended. living in fear about the likely outbreak of violence during and after the elections. There Ahmed Ali Abdul a refugee from Somalia, says are over 1.4 million refugees in Uganda of which the police should protect the refugees living in over 100,000 stay in Kampala in the areas of M Kisenyi because it is known to be an area where Makindye, Mengo –Kisenyi, Nsambya, Kansanga, riots are common. John Gasole residing in Bunga Bunga, and Nakulabye among others. says that incidents of violence in the campaigns reminds them of what they went through in their home country before they came to Eyob Kassepe an urban refugee in Kampala from Uganda. Eritrea staying in Nakulabye says that as a refugee community they are praying for Julius Mucunguzi, the Communications Officer in peaceful elections and transition of power, the Prime Minister’s Office says that the however, they are uncertain of what will happen refugees should not panic about their safety. after the elections. Kassepe says that due to the He, however, warned the refugees against uncertainty, the police should provide them with participating in the election process. special security especially to their colleague The Deputy Police spokesperson Kampala living in slums. Metropolitan Luke Oweyesigire, says that the refugees should report any threats against them to security personnel. 8th January, 2021 Arthritis Drug Proves Effective in Treating COVID-19 8.5 drop was recorded in patients who took the two drugs over a three-week period. When the drug was administered, the death rate reduced to 27 per cent in patients who took the drug within 24 hours after being admitted. The findings of the trial have not yet undergone peer reviews. However, the treatment has been rolled out in some hospitals in The UK. Doctors Two rheumatoid arthritis drugs have shown to are giving the drug to COVID patients who, be effective in stopping the occurrence of death despite receiving dexamethasone, are in severely sick COVID-19 patients. The drugs, deteriorating and need intensive care. tocilizumab and sarilumab are anti-inflammatory medication used to treat arthritis by stopping Prof Anthony Gordon, the lead investigator in inflammation from taking place. the UK trial says that the trial findings were great and would have a big effect on COVID-19 Results from a double-blinded phase three treatment. clinical trial involving 800 participants in six 7th January 2021 countries showed that the drugs could save the life of one out of 12 severe patients and reduce Health Ministry Does Not Know Cost of COVID the time spent in the ICU. Vaccine - Dr. Atwine The drugs are also known as IL-6 receptor antagonists because they regulate cell growth and help immune responses in the body by stopping inflammation. This was found to reduce the effect that the proteins of the virus which attacks the immune system and cause an overreaction, which can damage the lungs and other organs can have. According to results from the study carried out in the UK, the drugs were able to reduce the death rate of severely sick patients by a quarter. The Ministry of Health has said that it does not The death rate among patients admitted to the know the cost of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca ICU stood at 37 per cent. COVID-19 vaccine despite ordering for two million doses. Half of the participants in the trial were given a placebo and the others were given the drugs. An According to the ministry of health officials, the Dr. Atwine. government has only budgeted for the vaccination process to cost an estimated 1.4 According to Dr. Alfred Driwale, the programme trillion shillings (USD 405 million). While manager of the Uganda National Expanded addressing journalists on Thursday 7th January in Program on Immunization, the shillings 1.4 Kampala, Dr. Diana Atwine, the permanent trillion estimate was reached during a budgeting secretary of the ministry of health, revealed that process guided by WHO. they are waiting for the COVID-19 Global th Vaccine Access Facility- COVAX to tell them how 4 January, 2021 much the vaccine will cost. Uganda moves to receive Covid-19 vaccine While they have made orders for the vaccine, she says they are waiting for the drug manufacturers to set a vaccine price. Over 190 countries are part of the Global Vaccine Access Facility - COVAX. Uganda, Rwanda and Mozambique are among 92 of the countries that are low and middle-income that will benefit. A statement issued by Astra Zeneca in November 2020 intimated that COVAX would The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of buy each dose of the vaccine from the Health, Dr Diana Atwine, has revealed that manufactures at three dollars. Uganda is in its final stages to receive Coronavirus vaccine. According to the World Health Organisation- WHO, the COVAX facility has ordered for two According to her, this was reached at by the billion doses of the vaccine. The vaccines are National Task Force on Covid-19 chaired by going to be manufactured by the Serum President Yoweri Museveni during a meeting at Institute, a biotechnology firm located in India. State House, Entebbe yesterday (Saturday), The first batch of vaccines is expected to be January 2, 2021. delivered to the UN health agency next month before sending to countries that are part of the She said that Uganda will participate in the facility. Global COVAX initiative for Covid-19 vaccine access, revealing that they have already Dr. Atwine says the estimated cost of the submitted an application to this effect which has vaccine campaign is expected to rise. “The cost been accepted by the Global Alliance for Vaccine of USD 405 million is a working estimate of the Initiative (GAVI). national deployment vaccination plan to roll out “Based on the evidence available and the COVID-19 vaccine. This money will cover recommendations of the Science Advisory transport costs, training of health workers, flight Committee of the Ministry of Health, Uganda fees for the vaccine. It might not even be enough, and we shall need more money,” says will access the vaccine from AstraZeneca,” she Experts Frown at Companies Testing Staff for said in a statement. COVID-19 as Offices Reopen The meeting directed the Permanent Secretary, As offices were reopened on Monday after the Ministry of Health to initiate preparation to end of year festivities, the Insurance Training ensure readiness to receive and expeditiously College (ITC), the training arm of Uganda's distribute the vaccine to the population. Insurance sector opted for testing all its staff for SARS – COV -2, the virus that causes COVID-19 According to Dr Atwine, the meeting found out which has had over 30,000 Ugandans infected. that there had been a surge in reported cases of Covid-19 within the country with up to 88% or According to Agnes Eriosi Nantaba, institution’s 2,2000 cases during the last three months. head of Public Relations no staff will be allowed “There is an urgent need to access the Covid-19 in the office until they present a mandatory vaccine for the people of Uganda not only as a negative COVID-19 certificate. She says they mitigating strategy against severe disease and communicated this precautionary measure to deaths but also a public health measure to their staff before they closed for Christmas. The enable a safe return to normalcy,” she said. institution registered a positive case in November and she says after the festivities Dr Atwine said that Uganda will also explore where their staff traveled to different unknown other traditional vaccine options such as the one places, they don’t want to endanger the over from China when they receive approval from the 2000 clients that they interact with. World Health Organization. While Nantaba recommends that this can be “The access of the vaccine will be done in an done by other companies as a precautionary equitable manner starting with the most measure, and indeed some other vulnerable and those at more risk.” institutions including IMC and Dream TVs have subjected their staff to testing, Dr. Ataro Stephen Ayella, an epidemiologist, says this is just a temporary solution. He says work places should rather put emphasis on individual respect for standard operating procedures like keeping proper hand and respiratory hygiene. The doctor said at this forth stage of COVID-19 infection that Uganda is experiencing, who gets infected or not and prevention depends on individual initiative and respecting prevention measures like wearing a face mask at all time while at office and keeping a physical distance.