The Ministry of Health has on Wednesday 29 confirmed two COVID-19 positive cases, taking Uganda’s tally to 81.
Both cases are male 24-year-old Ugandan and 21-year-old Burundian refugee who were drawn from 299 samples tested among the community and individuals under quarantine.
“Today, we got 2 positives out of 2002 cases tested. These were under quarantine at the time of testing. These were the contacts of one positive. The total number is now at 81,” Ministry of Health PS Diana Atwine Tweeted.
All 1,703 samples from truck drivers at border points tested negative for COVID-19. A total of 2,002 samples were tested at UVRI.
The ministry of Health also announced today that the Kenyan driver who died at St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor in Gulu in northern Uganda did not die from coronavirus.
The hospital had announced that the 59-year-old who was referred from Elelgu border post in Amuru district on Saturday had presented signs and symptoms of coronavirus.
The trucker died alongside an 18-year-old woman who was also admitted to the isolation ward on Saturday. She was reportedly referred to Lacor hospital from Abee hospital in Oyam district after she was diagnosed with severe pneumonia. Results from UVRI indicate that she too did not have coronavirus at the time of her death.
In a related development, Tanzania today registered 174 new cases were registered in mainland Tanzania and 22 from Zanzibar to take the country’s total to 480 and 167 recoveries.
Kenya’s infections rose to 384 after 10 more infections were registered today. s. Burundi stands at 11 cases and one death while Rwanda stands at 212 cases and 0 deaths. DR Congo cases rose to 491 after 20 new cases were recorded on Wednesday.
South Sudan should expect to see a spike in coronavirus cases in coming days, according to at least one public health expert. 28 new cases were confirmed Tuesday by the country’s high-level task force on COVID-19, bringing the total to 34.
Dr Akuay Cham, an associate professor at the College of Public Health at the University of Juba, called the one-day increase in the number of confirmed cases worrying and said it indicated the virus was being transmitted locally.
“When we have, for example, an imported case, a case coming from outside, it is easy to track. But now you start having community transmission, in which you don’t know who is carrying what,” Cham told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus.
First Vice President Riek Machar, deputy chairman of the task force, said 10 other test results came back unclear and must be retested. He said the new confirmed cases had all come in contact with one person.
“All 28 confirmed cases and eight cases with inclusive test results are contacts of the fifth case, who was a member of Tonj Community Peace Mission,” Machar told VOA.
He said all of the individuals were isolated at the same quarantine site.
