Covid-19 Second Wave Patients Aged 20-39 Years

The majority of the patients suffering from the COVID-19 second wave are aged 20-39 years of age.

Ministry of Health officials says this age group is contributing over 50 per cent of the cases and deaths that are being reported at the moment.

Dr Henry Mwebesa, the Director-General of Health Services, says in the current wave, younger patients are reporting the most cases of severe and critical forms of the diseases unlike in the first wave where older persons were more at risk.

Dr Mwebesa says the rate at which the disease is being transmitted is high.

Records from Mulago National Referral Hospital as of May 22 show that there were 34 critically ill patients admitted to ICU. The youngest patient admitted was a 10-day old baby who most likely picked the disease from its mother. Nine patients aged 10-30 years are admitted.

According to the scientists, during this wave, the rate at which symptoms set in is faster than in the first wave.

Dr Misaki Wayengera, the head of the ministerial COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Committee says patients might not present with cough and flu-like symptoms.

According to the health ministry, it took the country more than four months to report 1,600 cases a week that were reported last week. Mwebesa attributes the increase in cases to a high level of complacency. He says people have stopped adhering to the public health measures such as wearing masks and avoiding crowds.

Doctors attribute say the new case profiles and high transmission rates to variants that have been reported to affect the young too. According to the Uganda Virus Research Institute, 36 cases of COVID-19 variants from the U.K, South Africa and India have been reported in the country.

URN