Kasese registers one COVID-19 death, four medics test positive

Kasese district has registered one COVID-19 death and six more positive cases, including a journalist and four medics.

The district health officer, Dr Yusufu Baseka, said the new cases were mainly from Bwera, Munkunyu and parts of Kasese Municipality.

He said the deceased was a woman from Bwera, near the common border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. She died at Kagando Hospital on Wednesday.

He said four of the 19 cases were medical doctors and the remaining 15 are from the community.

"Four of the 19 positive cases are health workers from my Department," Dr. Baseka said while addressing the media at the office of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC).

 "We expect more cases among the health workers because they interact with too many patients," he said.

He urged the health workers to observe extra precautionary measures, including wearing hand gloves, face masks and hand-washing to ensure infection prevention and control as they deliver services.

The Surveillance Focal Person, Samuel Muhindo Kabinga, encouraged the public to always report any suspected cases before they interact with community members.

The RDC, Lt. Joe WalusAimbi, who is also the district coronavirus taskforce chairperson, revealed that he had further instructed security operatives to enforce the curfew as announced by the Head of State.

He also sounded a warning to politicians against congregating the people, arguing that he would arrest them regardless of their political statuses.

"I have instructed the Police commanders to enforce curfew times, and the traffic Police to control vehicles and bodabodas to adhere to the standard operating procedures," he said.  

He expressed fear that the reported cases might be the tip of the iceberg in the district because many people, especially children, were still moving about carelessly from place to another.