According to Uganda’s Ministry of Health, three foreign trans-boundary cargo vehicle drivers, including two Kenyans and a Tanzanian, have tested positive to coronavirus in the country.
Despite the gains against the Coronavirus in Uganda, it now appears that the main cause for worry is the truck drivers that are still allowed to move from country to country.
Records from the Ministry of Health show that 700-1,000 cargo vehicle drivers are screened daily.
After samples have been taken from them, they are released and their status is known after 24 hours.
During Sunday’s address to the nation, President Museveni said this arrangement will be maintained.
The President said keeping them at the border poses a health risk, is expensive to their bosses and derails business, which ends up hurting the economy.
The statistics
A new COVID-19 positive case has been registered, bringing the number of confirmed cases in Uganda, to 61.
The case was one of the 1,019 samples tested at the Uganda Virus Research Centre in Entebbe on Tuesday.
According to Dr Henry Mwebesa, the director general of health services at the Ministry of Health, the new case is a 32-year-old Kenyan truck driver who came from Kenya via Malaba Border point of entry.
“He did not have any signs and symptoms consistent with COVID-19. He was tested as part of the standard procedure for all cargo transporters entering Uganda. Arrangements to evacuate him to Entebbe Hospital are underway,” Dr Mwebesa’s statement reads in part.
He said that World Health Organisations international health regulations require that every case is counted and treated in a country where it was tested and confirmed.
Dr Mwebesa said that it is against this background, that Uganda is required to add the five positive foreign truck drivers to our statistics (i.e one Tanzanian and four Kenyans).
The positives
So far at least 38 patients have recovered from the virus in Uganda.
Seven patients who have recovered from COVID-19 were Thursday discharged from Mulago National Referral Hospital by health state minister for general duties, Robinah Nabbanja. These include 3 females and 4 males.
Another patient was discharged from Hoima regional referral hospital, bringing the total number of recoveries to 20.
As of today, the Ministry of Health has reported 61 confirmed cases since the outbreak of the virus pandemic.