An epidemiologist, and Dean of the Makerere University School of Public Health, Prof Rhoda Wanyeze has disagreed with individuals that are advocating for mass lifting of the coronavirus lockdown under the guise of testing/ experimenting herd immunity.
While speaking at a Ministry of Health press conference happening now in Kampala, the professor said mass lifting of the lockdown is detrimental for the country and can not be recommended to the president by health experts.
“Herd immunity is tricky,” Prof Wanyeze said, “to be able to achieve it, we may have to first subject about 70% of the population to the virus and maybe then, we can be able to achieve it.”
She said the nation is not well suited to handle the mass contractions of the virus and that it would be to our own detriment to expose the entire population to the virus at once.
“Systematic lifting of the lockdown is the way to go. With that, we will be able to identify quickly and treat the Ugandans that acquire the virus. In the end, if we don’t find a cure, maybe the whole population will acquire the virus. But they shall be able to be attended to by our health care professionals, since they (the infected) will not be overwhelming to our health care.” Prof Wanyeze said.
At the same press conference, Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng comfirmed that there has not been community transmission of the coronavirus according to a rapid tests survey by a health team.
