Uganda’s Coronavirus cases jump to 248
The Ministry of Health has confirmed 21 new cases of the deadly Coronavirus pushing the national tally to 248 cases.
According to a statement by Dr. Henry Mwebesa , the Director General Health Services at the Ministry of Health, the confirmed cases were all from 1,071 samples that were tested from various points of entry into the country on Sunday, May 18, 2020.
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“The 21 confirmed cases are Ugandan nationals; 17 from Elegu Point of Entry, 3 from Mutukula Point of Entry and 1 from Malaba Point of Entry,” Dr Mwebesa said.
As part of the Community Assessment Survey of the prevalence of Covid-19 transmissions in the communities, the Ministry tested 253 people in communities and all samples tested negative.
Dr Mwebesa also dismissed as fake, the results that had earlier been circulating on social media saying they had delayed in releasing results due to the new directive by President Museveni allowing only negative truck drivers into the country.
“Samples from truck drivers had to be sorted appropriately and divided between Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) and the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) by the laboratory teams for quick turnaround time. Testing at the NHLS started at 7:30pm yesterday evening hence the delay in reporting results,” he said.
According to Dr.Mwebesa, all truck drivers must undergo Covid-19 testing and receive the results before proceeding to immigration at the borders.
“Foreign truck drivers who test positive for Covid-19 are advised to return to their place of origin for treatment while Ugandan truck drivers will be admitted at the various hospitals for treatment.”
The Ministry of Health also noted that there are 57 Covid-19 patients undergoing treatment in various Ugandan hospitals and that they are in a stable condition.
Uganda has so far had 63 recoveries with no death arising from Coronavirus to date.
