The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
ALL travelers who have been in Dubai in the past two weeks urged to call the health desk on 0800-100-066 or 0800-203-033 for further follow-up
📞MOH toll free lines
✅0800-100-066
✅0800-203-033
❎Mr. Atek Kagirita: 0782 909 153
❎Dr. Allan Muruta: 0772 460 297
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health has confirmed eight new cases of COVID-19 in the country.
All infected are Ugandans who traveled from Dubai. This brings to nine the number of cases Uganda has confirmed, a day after President Yoweri Museveni announced closure of the borders to human traffic.
Minister of Health Ruth Aceng has called on anyone who came into Uganda from Dubai in the past two weeks to get in touch with her officers so they can track and test them.
“The UAE was not among the high risk countries. From what we are seeing we are not sure what was reported was the truth,” said Aceng at a press conference Monday night in Kampala.
Dubai in UAE is however a major transit point to and from a number of destinations across the globe.
Aceng also revealed that the ministry today tested 35 samples of people under quarantine, eight of which tested positive. Six of the eight were intercepted at the airport on a flight from Dubai. Two were got from where they were quarantined, having earlier come in also from Dubai.
Aceng reassured the country that they have enough test kits, and is expecting more from the World Health Organisation later this week.
It was also revealed at the press briefing that the eight Chinese who escaped from quarantine and were heading to DRC, are back in Kampala where tests have been done. After results are out, they will be taken to court.
Press Statement Update on COVID-19 in Uganda March 23 by The Independent Magazine on Scribd
Coronavirus: latest global developments
Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
– More than 360,000 cases –
At least 16,146 deaths have been recorded since the virus first emerged in December, according to an AFP tally compiled at 1900 GMT on Monday based on official sources.
More than 361,510 declared cases have been registered in 174 countries and territories.
Italy has most deaths with 6,077, out of 63,927 declared infections.
Mainland China has 3,270 deaths out of 81,093 cases.
The third worst hit country is Spain with 2,182 fatalities and 33,089 cases, followed by Iran with 1,812 fatalities and 23,049 cases, France with 860 deaths and 19,856 cases, and the United States with 499 deaths and 41,511 cases.
– 1.7 billon confined –
More than 1.7 billion people have been asked to stay home in over 50 countries and territories around the world, including 700 million people in India alone.
France announces new restrictions, with Prime Minister Edouard Phlippe saying confinement could last “several more weeks”.
Italy, which is also in lockdown, bans domestic travel and shuts down a range of industries.
South Africa announces a three-week national lockdown from Thursday, while the Netherlands extends a ban on public gatherings until June 1.
– Trump fears for economy –
However, US President Donald Trump warns against the economic shutdown caused by mass quarantine measures, tweeting “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF.”
– Global ceasefire call –
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appeals for an “immediate global ceasefire” to protect vulnerable civilians in conflict zones from the pandemic, saying: “The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war.”
– Economic rescue plans –
Group of 20 (G20) finance ministers say they are ready to support the most vulnerable countries.
EU finance ministers suspend rules on running public deficits in the bloc to allow member states to spend freely to tackle the crisis.
The German government agrees hundreds of billions of euros to cushion the impact of measures to contain the coronavirus.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the world economy is facing more “severe” economic damage from the pandemic than the 2008 financial crisis.
– Pandemic ‘accelerating’: WHO –
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns the pandemic is clearly “accelerating”, but says it is still possible to “change the trajectory” of the outbreak, urging countries to go on the “attack”.
– Clinical trials –
China has started the first phase of a clinical trial for a novel coronavirus vaccine.
Russia has started to test a vaccine on animals.
A group of European countries launch clinical trials to test four experimental treatments, while Canadian researchers start to study the use of a powerful anti-inflammatory drug to reduce the risks of COVID-19 pulmonary complications and death.
– Border tightening –
Hong Kong has banned all non-residents from entering.
The United Arab Emirates will suspend from Wednesday, for two weeks, all passenger flights, including transit.
– Olympics: not ‘feasible’ –
World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe calls for the Tokyo Olympics to be postponed, writing to the International Olympic Committee holding the Games in July 2020 is “neither feasible nor desirable”.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe acknowledges for the first time that a postponement could be “inevitable’.
Self-quarantine simply does not work. It puts too much responsibility for national security on mere civilians who have no medical training and are by nature gregarious people. We have seen selfishness and ignorance in the form of quarantined people bribing their way out of quarantine into the general public, so why would Self-quarantine even be considered as an option?
Screening simply does not work. Those with no symptoms at all can spread the virus rapidly by mingling with others while believing that they have been cleared through mere screening. Stop screening and start testing… aggressively.
It’s now late but we can still fight using lessons from other countries:
* Aggressive testing, not screening
* Extreme lockdown and enforced quarantine of communities into smaller “clusters” – military enforced (during which door to door census-style testing can be used to properly identify positive cases within those clusters for quarantine)
These things need money but we cannot fail to mobilize funds from wealthy Ugandan entities and well meaning philanthropists around the world.
We remain vigilant, prayerful, and patriotic.
Can u imagine those from Dubai were supposed to be isolated and tested before mixing with the public. We’re now looking for them to be tested. Is it corruption? Not knowing what to do? Are u going to lie the president that ur still under control of the disease? Some people need to be fired promptly to save the majority.
God for bid!!
How can all ministry start looking for Only 45 people out of 45 million Ugandanz yet dey told us us dat d airport has git tight security and akso enough screen ing gadgets 4 detecting d virus hmmmmmm …….so can we say dat they use fake testing gadgets.
AMAY ALLAH PROTECT ALL UGANDANS PLUS D WORLD AT LARGE.
I think this is all b…shit for the Health Ministry to start calling upon disnginuous Ugandans who came back from Dubai about two weeks ago to come forward for testing, these people have already mingled with the innocent public we just have to accept what has been brought upon us it’s really impossible to find a government organ in our current Uganda ready to serve it s people with heart and soul. People at every boarder entry are expected to execute their duties with exceptional skills in this once in a life time crisis. Laxity at boarder entries has made our motherland a hot-bed for corona-virus, only time will tell!
I empathize his Excellency for being blamed on every error that occurs. The action my dear fellow nationals is not to widen the blame game but to act jointly towards the implementation of preventive methods. Our country is for all of us and therefore let have endless Prayers and be PATRIOTIC.
First and foremost, I want to thank God for his great Love rendered in our country (🇺🇬), For we have not registered COVID19 deaths and, I urge all the public to abide-by precautions put across the MOH and government so that, to be free-from the prevailing virus, thanks to H.E M7, SALUTE.
A huge international fight over where the child should go, grandparents in America, or a parent living in Cuba. He went to Cuba to be Fidel’s cigar trimmer until he became a teenager and went to work in the fish cannery.