A total of 301 samples tested Negative for COVID-19 while one (1) tested positive on 2nd April 2020. This makes a total of 45 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Uganda
According to the Ministry of Health press release, the confirmed case is a 22-year-old Ugandan female, resident of Nkokonjeru in Wakiso district and wife to a previously confirmed case who arrived from Dubai, UAE on the 20th of March. She did not have any signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
A cumulative total of 695 contacts out of which 134 are new have been listed. 611 out of the 695 contacts were followed up on 2nd April 2020.
A total of 1,009 identified high-risk travellers are under follow up and 868 of these are under institutional quarantine while 141 under self-isolation. A total of 2,079 high-risk travellers have completed 14 days of follow-up.
Earlier in the day the, the Minister of Health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng delivered a televised address on the status of COVID 19 in Uganda in which she justified the current lockdown and other measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Giving a comprehensive update on the government’s efforts against the spread of COVID-19, Dr Aceng said the lockdown was necessary to save the country from registering over 18000 cases by the end of April 2020.
She said government had responded to the COVID 19 pandemic with a number of interventions disclosing that up to shillings 157 billion will be available for the Ministry of Health to scale up efforts to fight the disease.
She also revealed that over 200 health workers are to be recruited to beef up the health response teams and also added that more than 300 ambulances have been deployed at both central and district level for purposes of evacuating positive cases.
Dr Aceng also said all the 44 confirmed cases are in hospitals and undergoing treatment. She also said all confirmed cases will be isolated and treated while all those under institutional quarantine will also be tested and results returned to the district within 48 hours.
She said anyone who has completed 14 days of quarantine will be tested on the 15th day and get into self-isolation for another 14 days to be sure that the person is not spreading the virus.
Dr Aceng also revealed that there are a total of 480 Intensive Care Unit beds countrywide for critical cases but this number can increase with the addition from the private sector.
Responding to questions from journalists during the address, Uganda Virus Research Institute Director Prof Pontiano Kaleebu assured the nation that the institute currently has the required capacity and skills to test COVID-19. He noted that the institute has been developing its capacity over the time to test viral diseases. He also said that the results from COVID-19 tests can be received within 4-6 hours but results were being released in the evening because the process of receiving samples to actual testing takes some time.