The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Thirteen of the 23 truck drivers who tested positive for the coronavirus -COVID 19 exited Uganda on their own will, the Health Minister, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng has revealed.
According to Aceng, Uganda officially only repatriated a single truck driver from Tanzania. She says seven other non-Ugandan truck drivers are under treatment in different facilities and are in stable condition.
Her revelation created a backlash on twitter with people asking about how traceable those that left are, whether they are under treatment in their respective countries or if they know whoever they got in contact with.
The release of the truck drivers after testing positive contravenes an earlier directive by the World Health Organisation that whatever case is confirmed in a particular country should be recorded and treated in that specific country. Last week, the Health Ministry said it would start recording everyone and treat them from here.
The Primary Health Minister, Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu declined to comment when asked earlier on the progress on the implementation of the directive. This morning, Aceng also revealed that the 13 truck drivers had traveled through the country but said they had captured all their contacts.
It’s on this background that she said they partly resolved to conduct an assessment survey to establish prevalence of the viral respiratory disease at community level. In this survey, 20,000 people will be tested using both blood and nose and throat samples to establish whether they have suffered from the disease and their immune systems cleared the virus or they still have an active virus.
Uganda has registered 79 confirmed Covid1-9 cases, 47 of which have since recovered.
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