104 samples test negative for virus

Mar 27, 2020

“Good news! All 104 samples tested negative for COVID-19. God is good. Together, we can overcome this battle. Please adhere to the health ministry guidelines and prevention measures,” she said.

COVID-19

KAMPALA - The Ministry of Health has said new samples of 104 people that were tested for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Uganda Virus Research Institute on Wednesday tested negative. Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng made this announcement on her Twitter account.

"Good news! All 104 samples tested negative for COVID-19. God is good. Together, we can overcome this battle. Please adhere to the health ministry guidelines and prevention measures," she said.

Uganda as of Wednesday still had 14 coronavirus cases. The majority of the cases, according to the health ministry, were of people who recently travelled to Dubai.

"None of the confirmed cases has died as alleged in several media posts…all are in a stable condition," the health ministry said in a statement. Uganda on Wednesday registered the youngest person to have contracted COVID-19 so far.

This is an eight-month-old baby whose father travelled from Kisumu, Kenya, a week ago.

According to the ministry, the baby and her parents have since been transferred from Iganga Hospital to Mulago National Specialised Hospital "where they are well-attended to, fed well and remain in a stable condition".

The ministry also said it has established a testing centre at Ward 2A at Mulago Hospital mainly for individuals who arrived from Dubai in the past two weeks.

"However, other individuals who did not travel to Dubai in the mentioned period 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 COVID-19 tests," they said.

A total of 574 individuals who travelled to 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 coronavirus-like symptoms. All the 40 tested negative.

"To-date, 2,661 travellers, including Ugandans identified as potential risks, have been either under self-quarantine or under institutional quarantine. Of these, 1,206 are under follow up. 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 ministry explained.

Makerere quarantine Meanwhile, Makerere University has permitted the health ministry to use its hostel facilities at the Agricultural Research Institute at Kabanyolo as a quarantine centre.

The university vice-chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, said the ministry will use the premises for 14 days. "Permission is hereby given for use of the hostel facilities at Kabanyolo by the health ministry for the quarantine programme to curb the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19," Nawangwe said.

"I trust that you will fulfil your pledge of disinfecting the premises during the period of use and after," he added.

Nawangwe urged the dean of students to make the necessary arrangements to enable access to the hostel premises. He commended the ministry for the measures against the deadly COVID-19

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