Charles Olaro, Director Clinical Services at Ministry of health addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Center on November 16, 2020. Photo by Nancy Nanyonga

HEALTH | COVID-19

A Ministry of Health official has called on the public to intensify preventive action to avoid covid-19 infections overwhelming health facilities.

Charles Olaro, the director clinical services, said the country’s infections have reached stage four, a critical stage.

And only careful interventions from the public with actions such as proper handwashing, social distancing, and wearing a mask, can save the situation from getting out of hand.

“We are asking for responsibility from everyone. I would like to urge everyone to take the Ministry of Health guidelines seriously,” he said.

He was addressing journalists in Kampala on Monday.

As of November 16, the total number of covid-19 infections stood at 16,020, with 8,038 recoveries and 145 deaths.

According to the World Health Organization, there are four stages of the disease. Stage one is getting imported cases, stage two local transmission when a person who’s been to a global hotspot infects a resident.

The third stage is community transmission and stage 4 is an epidemic, which is characterized by high deaths and infections.