Kisoro District has registered 21 confirmed Covid-19 cases among Congolese refugees, up from five in a week, authorities have said.
The district health and security officials confirmed the development to Daily Monitor at the weekend, warning that if the situation is not handled urgently, Kisoro might soon become an epicentre for the re-emergence of the disease in the country.
The district assistant health officer, Ms Annette Dusabe, on Friday said although the patients are not in critical condition, some unscreened refugees staying with their relatives in border communities may spread the disease.
“Last week, we only had five Covid-19 positive cases, but by Thursday, the cases had increased to 21. The positive cases have been isolated at Nyakabande Refugee Transit Centre and are under close monitoring by health workers,” Ms Dusabe said.
“Plans are, however, underway to start vaccinating all the Congolese refugees at Nyakabande,” she added.
Ms Dusabe appealed to the leaders in the border communities to observe standard operating procedures.
She also asked the refugees to relocate to Nyakabande for screening.
The Deputy Resident District Commissioner, Mr Robert Tukamuhebwa, said the cumulative number of Covid-19 tests for the new arrivals and positive cases among the Congolese refugees since fighting erupted between the M23 rebels and the Congo forces in March, stands at 50,192 and 700, respectively.
Mr Tukamuhebwa, who also chairs the district Covid-19 taskforce, attributed the rise in the number of positive cases to the increasing refugee population.
“The active Covid-19 surveillance team in Kisoro is doing its job to ensure that all the refugees that cross into Uganda are fully screened. We shall continue sensitising our people through radio programmes on how to avoid contracting the disease,” Mr Tukamuhebwa said.
He said by Thursday, the total population at the Nyakabande was 2,451 while the cumulative number of Congolese refugees manually registered from March is 66,499.
He added that the security situation at the border points is calm as both Ugandan and Congolese nationals are able to cross to either side for cultivation and commercial activities.
While meeting editors on Friday in Kampala, the Health minister, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, said Covid-19 infections had started rising again.
“When I say this, they will say she wants money again from partners. Kampala is a hotspot. You people you know the lifestyle in the city more than I know what happens where,” Dr Aceng said.
The minister urged citizens to go for Covid-19 booster doses to avoid reinfections.
