There is need for sustained surveillance to facilitate early detection, confirmation, reporting, notification, verification and response of alerts and suspect cases. This will be based on regular risk assessments and prioritization into three categories. Priority is focused on Points of Entry, Referral Hospitals, UVRI’s National Influenza Centre Sentinel sites and districts with direct links to key points of entry as well as high-volume congregational points especially those hosting Foreigners.
Targets
The surveillance targets for preparedness and control of COVID-19 include;
- 100% screening of travellers at PoEs
- 80% alert verification and response system is functional
- 100% follow up of cases and monitoring of self-isolated cases
- 80% investigation of clusters of influenza like illnesses
- 100% collection of specimens from suspect COVID-19 cases
Strategies to achieve the COVID-19 surveillance targets
- Conduct Rapid risk assessment for COVID-19 importation into the country.
- Enhance Point of Entry screening for early detection of COVID-19 cases
- Enhance COVID-19 surveillance in health facilities and communities
- Intensify Monitoring of isolated high risk travellers and verification of alerts
- Enhance capacity for sample collection, transportation, testing and confirmation of COVID-19 suspect cases
- Develop innovative approaches, methods and tools to enhance surveillance activities
Activities
The priority activities of the pillar include the following:
- Conduct district level risk assessments at critical point of entry and points of congregation (Entebbe, Kampala, Wakiso, Busia, Tororo/Malaba, Katuna, Cyanika), all districts with Regional Referral hospitals and NIC sentinel sites (Kabale, Jinja, Lira, Fort portal, Mbarara and any other emerging district at risk).
- Build district level capacity on COVID-19 surveillance (DTF, the DHT, Health workers and selected VHTs)
- Enhance community based COVID-19 surveillance through community structures
- Support collection, packaging and transportation of samples from suspected COVID-19 cases to UVRI for analysis.
- Deployment of mobile labs and field teams to quicken sample testing and confirmation.
- Orientation of health workers at district level, sentinel sites and referral hospitals on enhanced COVID-19 surveillance and reporting.
- Orientation of border officials including immigration, revenue, trade and internal security officers at PoEs on identification of COVID-19 affected travellers
- Support supervision and monitoring of screening at PoEs in areas that are likely to be affected by central and district teams.
- Build capacity of laboratory and selected health staff on appropriate COVID-19 sample collection, packaging, handling and transportation.
- Intensify screening and monitoring of alerts at designated points of entry.
- Follow-up of high risk travellers, alerts and contacts
- Active case search and verification of alerts
- Transfer of high risk travellers to isolation facilities
- Develop, print and disseminate case definition, case investigation forms, line list and SOPs
- Conduct data collection and information management at national and district level including POEs, health facilities and lab.
- Support UVRI-NIC to test for COVID-19
