The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
The number of COVID- 19 cases in Uganda hit the 1000 mark on July 09.
Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | This followed announcement of 23 confirmed new cases from tests that were conducted on Wednesday 08. Out of the 23 new cases; 12 are Ugandan nationals who returned from abroad.
According to a statement by Dr. Henry Mwebesa, the director general of health services at the Ministry of Health, eight people returned from Afghanistan, three from DR Congo and one from South Sudan. The 1000-mark was passed without any ceremony; another grim reminder of the new normal. Below are some of the other COVID-19 milestones for Uganda.
Uganda confirmed its first case on March 21 after President Yoweri Museveni suspended public gatherings including places of worship, pubs, weddings, music shows, rallies and cultural meetings for 32 days with immediate effect on March 18.
On March 24 another eight cases were confirmed by the Ministry of Health bringing the number of cases to 9. All the cases were Ugandans who had travelled back from Dubai. At this point, the country was on high COVID-19 alert.
On 25 March, President Museveni suspended public transport for 14 days. Only private cars with not more than three occupants were allowed on the road.
On 30 March, the President declared a nationwide curfew from 7 pm to 6:30 am, which would run for 14 days to prevent the spread of the disease.
On 14 April, one case was recorded at the Eastern border of Uganda and Kenya. This was a case of a cargo transporter who had been in Kenya and brings the cumulative number of cases in Uganda as of 15 April to 55. On 18 April, Uganda discharged 6 patients bringing the total to recoveries to 28.
On 21 April, Uganda confirmed 1 new case of coronavirus from 651 tested samples from truck drivers at the boarder points of entry.
On 26 April, Uganda registered 4 new cases of coronavirus out of the 1,578 tested samples from truck drivers at the boarder point entry.
The president extended the lockdown for more 14 days.
On 29 April, Uganda got 2 positive new cases of coronavirus from 299 samples tested within the community and confirmed cases is 81.
On 30 April, 2 new cases were confirmed from 1,579 samples tested from the truck drivers from boarder points of entry. The 2 were both Kenyans who arrived from Busia and Malaba. Therefore, the total number of confirmed cases in Uganda increased to 83 by 30 April.
On 2 May, three new cases were confirmed in Uganda, where two from the 1,922 samples of truck drivers were from the boarder points of entry and one was from the 562 samples from the community. This brought the total confirmed cases in Uganda on 2 May to 88.
On 3 May, Uganda registered 1 new positive coronavirus case from the 2,729 samples tested of the truck drivers from the boarder entry points in Uganda and this brings the total number of confirmed cases in Uganda to 89.
On 4 May, Uganda got 8 new additional positive cases of coronavirus, 6 cases were from the 2,061 samples tested from truck drivers while 2 were from a rapid assessment survey conducted within the communities.
On 8 May, Uganda confirmed and registered 13 new coronavirus cases from 2,421 samples of truck drivers from the boarder points of entry in Uganda.
On 11 May, Uganda registered one new case of coronavirus out of the 2,296 samples from truck drivers at the boarder points of entry into Uganda. The new confirmed case was a 45 years old Ugandan male truck driver who arrived in Uganda from Juba via Elegu border point of entry. By 11 May, the total number of confirmed cases was 122.
On 18 May, Uganda registered 21 new cases of coronavirus from 1,071 tested samples of various entry points on 17 May. All the 21 cases were Ugandans who arrived from Elegu (17), Mutukula (3) and Malaba (1) entry points.
On 18 May, Uganda confirmed 12 new coronavirus positive cases from 1,743 samples tested from different points of entry.
On 20 May, Uganda confirmed 4 new positive cases of coronavirus out of the samples that were tested on 19 May.
On 21 May, a presidential directive reduced the total number cases from 264 to 145 after removing foreign truck drivers who had left the country from the count.
On 22 May, 15 cases of coronavirus were confirmed from the 2,106 samples tested. On 23 May; the country registered 23 new cases of the virus out of the 1,187 samples tested.
On 24 May, the ministry of Health Uganda registered 11 new cases of coronavirus out of the 1,084 samples tested from community and the people they got in contacts with.
On 25 May, Uganda registered 10 new cases of the virus out of the 1,189 samples tested. On 28 May, 36 new coronavirus new cases we confirmed in Uganda out of the 2,230 tested samples.
On 1 June, Uganda confirmed 40 new coronavirus cases from 1,319 samples tested.
On 08 June 30 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed from 3,758 samples tested on 07 June.
On 11 June14 new Covid-19 cases, were confirmed from 2423 samples tested on 10th June. 6 new cases were among 1260 samples tested from Points of Entry.
By the end of June, there were 870 cases in Uganda. Schools, places of worship, bars, and arcades were still closed.
Although the number of cases has increased, Ministry of health says the measures put by the government to curb the spread of the virus are the reason we don’t have many community cases.
According to the health ministry, there are 908 recoveries and no deaths recorded.
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