UPDATE ON THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK IN UGANDA

UPDATE ON THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK IN UGANDA

Kampala – 26 March 2020 – Our attention has been drawn to the COVID-19 misinformation making rounds on social media. The Ministry of Health would like to clarify as follows:

  1. None of the COVID-19 confirmed cases has died as alleged in several media posts. To date, Uganda has a total of 14 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and all are in stable condition.
  2. The eight-month-old baby, her mother and father were transferred from Iganga Hospital to Mulago National Specialized Hospital where they are well attended to, fed well and remain in a stable condition.
  3. A testing centre has been established at Ward 2A at Mulago National Specialized Hospital mainly for individuals who arrived from Dubai, UAE in the past two weeks. However, other individuals who did not travel to Dubai in the period mentioned above continue to flock the hospital, causing severe congestion and a lag in service delivery. This is currently being addressed by counselling and vetting of patients who are seeking for COVlD-19 tests.

A total of 574 individuals who travelled from Dubai in the past two weeks have been identified countrywide. Out of these, 129 are in institutional quarantine. Of these, samples were removed from 40 travellers who had COVID-19 like symptoms. Fortunately, all the 40 tested negative for COVID-19.

To date, a total of 2,661 travellers, including Ugandans identified as potential risk have been either under self-quarantine or institutional quarantine. Of these, 1,206 are under follow up; 893 of these are under institutional quarantine while 435 are under self-quarantine. A total of 1,431 high-risk travellers have completed their 14 days of follow up and have been issued with certificates of completion of the mandatory quarantine.

The public is also advised to report any suspected cases to the nearest health facility or call our toll-free lines on 0800-100-066, 0800- 203-033 or 0800-303-033

Dr. Henry G. Mwebesa – DIRECTOR GENERAL HEALTH SERVICES

For further Information. contact Mr Emmanuel Aillebyoona- Senior Public Relations Officer on +256 7792]0588 or Emmanuel.ainehyoona@health.go.ug

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The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) was established under the legal framework of the Uganda Communications Act No. 1 of 1997 and the Electronic Media Act of 1996. Consequently, UCC operates as an integrated regulatory body overseeing various sectors, including Telecommunications, Data Communications, Broadcasting, Postal Communication, Radio Communication, and Infrastructure services throughout Uganda. It is also tasked with the responsibility of licensing operations of cinematography theatres and video or film libraries in Uganda.

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