Potential prison sentence for those breaking lockdown restrictions! 

Ugandans may find themselves in jail for two months if they are found breaking public health controls in a new COVID-19 law. 

Jane Ruth Aceng is the minister for health.

"From our observations, we have noted increased transmissibility resulting in a fast-moving outbreak, more severe clinical presentations of new cases and unfortunately resulting in poor clinical outcomes," said Aceng.

Aceng says Uganda will most likely reach the peak of daily case numbers in late July or early August, before registering a slight drop in cases.

State minister for health Anifa Kawooya says the law is necessary.

"These penalties are not punishments. In one way, it is to instill attitude change," said Kawooya. "That the moment that you know that if I don’t observe these SOPs [standard operating procedures], this will happen.”

More vaccine coming

The Health Ministry hopes that once the government can acquire more vaccines, fewer people will be severely affected and in need of critical care in hospitals. So far 861,645 people have been inoculated with their first dose of AstraZeneca and 129,257 have had their second dose.

Between July and August Uganda expects to receive 974,400 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and another 300,000 Sinovac doses from China.

This will still only mean that 2.2 million doses will be administered once these new doses are delivered. The population of Uganda is 44 million people, and they need 88 million doses to full vaccinate everyone and then an annual dose to protect people annually. Covid Pandemic is not going away in countries like Uganda anytime soon. 

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