Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Around 275 million people used drugs worldwide in the last year of unprecedented upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, up by 22 percent from 2010. There is a significant increase in the use of cannabis during the pandemic. That’s among the key findings of the …
Read More »Africa’s COVID-19 caseload at historic high amid third wave – WHO
Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | The number of COVID-19 cases in Africa has surged at an unprecedented pace as the continent grapples with a third wave that has posed a dire threat to public health infrastructure, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Thursday. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for …
Read More »Unreliable ambulance services take toll on Covid-19 response in Acholi
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The COVID-19 task forces in Acholi have expressed concern about the unreliable ambulance services that are affecting timely care delivery to patients in the region. Some of the ambulances have broken down due to mechanical conditions and require huge budgets to repair and maintain. Apart …
Read More »Covid-19 cases high in prison, police
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Security agencies are experiencing an increase in the number of their personnel infected with Covid-19. The personnel are either hospitalized or seeking treatment from their homes. Figures from sources including those already confirmed show security agencies among others, Uganda Prisons Service- UPS, Uganda People’s Defence …
Read More »Mabirizi challenges Museveni’s oral directives on Covid-19
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | City lawyer Male Mabirizi has petitioned the High Court in Kampala seeking a declaration that the orders issued by President Yoweri Museveni imposing a lockdown violate fundamental human rights enshrined in the constitution. According to Mabirizi, several statements and speech orders by President Museveni communicated …
Read More »COVID-19: Museveni declares June 25 National Prayer Day, public holiday
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday declared June 25 as a public holiday for COVID-19 national prayers as the second wave of the pandemic continues to affect the country. Museveni, in a State House statement, said Friday will be observed as a public holiday and the …
Read More »Experts warn of mental health problems during second wave of Covid-19
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Families of people who have died from the second wave of Covid-19 or are infected could suffer mental problems. Mental health experts warn that patients, family members and also health workers are likely to suffer from anxiety and even mild depression. Dr Hillary Irimaso, a …
Read More »COVID-19: Budaka, Tororo districts suspend annual leave for health workers
Tororo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The COVID-19 task forces in Budaka and Tororo have resolved to cancel and suspend leave requests, and recall all the health workers in the district over the increasing cases of COVID-19. According to the district officials, all health workers on leave are supposed to report …
Read More »Civil society calls for transparency in emergency cash for Covid-19 relief
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The government’s plan to distribute Covid-19 relief aid to Uganda has drawn criticism from different organizations. The government said it would use mobile money to get money to the vulnerable people who are affected by the lockdown to contain the second Covid-19 wave. Unlike last …
Read More »Delta variant spreading fast in Europe, faster vaccinations urged
Stockholm, Sweden | Xinhua | The Delta COVID-19 variant could cause nearly all new COVID-19 infections in Europe within weeks, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) cautioned on Wednesday. The Stockholm-based agency under the European Union (EU) also warned that the number of daily cases, as well as …
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