Kapchorwa district is mourning the death of Simon Peter Kandole, the Chief Administrative Officer who succumbed to the COVID-19.
Kandole died on Monday morning at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital where he was admitted in intensive care in critical condition on Friday.
According to Evelyn Kubalika the Kapchorwa District LC V Chairperson, the CAO tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday last week.
However, when he felt unwell, he decided to self-isolate but his condition deteriorated on Friday and was rushed to Mbale Regional Hospital where he was put on oxygen.
The district chairperson decried the negative attitude among residents about the pandemic, saying that the majority do not believe the disease is real.
Adding that the death of the CAO should send a strong message to the public about the need for extra vigilance and implementation of COVID-19 prevention measures.
The Deputy CAO Robert Owili Abiya says his boss’s death has come at a time when the district is battling a surge in COVID-19 cases, and that the deceased who had served as CAO for three and half years was transferred recently to Arua district and was planning to hand over the office when he contracted the virus.
By press time, Kandole’s body was being prepped for transfer to Mulago National Referral Hospital from where it will be taken to Kibaale district for burial.
According to Dr. Emmanuel Tugaineyo the Director Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, the deceased was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and was placed on life support.
