Four New COVID-19 Cases Reported, Number of Cases Rises to 264

Four new COVID-19 cases have been recorded by the Ministry of Health. Two of the four confirmed cases were picked from the community during the ongoing Rapid Community Assessment while the other two are Ugandan truck drivers who entered the country through the Mutukula border post.

The two community cases include a 28-year-old male in Buikwe district, a contact of a positive truck driver and the other community case is a 26-year-old male from Kyambogo, also a contact of another truck driver. Dr Henry Mwebesa, the director-general of health services at the ministry of health says that the drivers were under quarantine. 

Another 36 foreign truck drivers who tested positive were sent back to their countries in line with the country’s new guidelines and guidance from the President that only those who test negative should be allowed into the country. They include 17 Tanzanian Nationals, 15 Kenyans, three Eritreans and one Burundian.

On Sunday, Uganda also blocked another 32 drivers from crossing the borders after testing positive to Coronavirus Disease. Some of the drivers had entered  the country through the Mutukula point of entry where the government has installed a Genexpert machine that had the ability to produce results in 45 minutes.

According to Dr Mwebesa, Uganda now has 80 admitted COVID-19 patients who are all in a stable condition and up to 65 people have recovered, tested negative and discharged from Hospitals.

The novel coronavirus has so far infected more than 4.7 million people worldwide, caused more than 316,100 deaths and thrown the futures of even the most robust economies into jeopardy. But as countries continue to lift restrictions the World Health Organization (WHO) has adopted a resolution that calls for an independent review of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the agency’s own performance.

The agency also  committed to providing strategic leadership to coordinate the global response, offering epidemiological information and analysis and keeping countries updated on ways to keep safe.

COVID-19 has “robbed us of people we love”,  taken livelihoods and shaken the world’s very foundations.  It has also offered a reminder of the opportunity to forge a common future.  WHO will continue to work – day and night – to support the most vulnerable countries and populations.  “We’ll never, ever give up,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,  the Director-General of the World Health Organisation.