DETAILS: Uganda registers first COVID-19 death, in Mbale

✳ 1,079 Ugandan cases
✳ 971 Ugandan recoveries
✳ 1 Ugandan death

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda has registered its first COVID-19 death four months after the epidemic broke out in the country.

The victim is a 34-year-old woman who died at Joy Hospice Center in Mbale City on Wednesday.  She was buried today as per ‘Safe Dignified Burial’ procedures.

According to Director General Health Services Henry Mwebesa, the patient presented with COVID-19 like signs and symptoms – fever,dry cough,headache and difficulty in breathing.

Mwebase said earlier reports had indicated that the deceased was not a Ugandan, which was not true. Further investigations have since established that she was a Ugandan from Manafwa, Bubulo East, Namabya- Namunyali- Sisongofwa in Namisindwa District.

Namisindwa District is bordered by Bududa District to the north, Kenya to the east and south, Tororo District to the south-west, and Manafwa District to the west.

The deceased was initially admitted to Wasungui HC II on Wednesday, 15th July, 2020 and treated for severe pneumonia. However, on Monday, 20th July, 2020, she was transferred to Joy Hospice health facility, in Mbale District, where she was isolated in the female ward.

While in isolation, the patient’s condition deteriorated with difficulty in breathing, cough, chills and headache. She passed on on Tuesday 21st July, 2020 at 2.00am.

The postmortem samples from the deceased were confirmed positive for SARS-COV-2 by 4 laboratories at UVRI, CPHL, Tororo and Makerere. In addition, findings at postmortem showed features of acute pneumonia, findings that are consistent with COVID-19 infection.

Director of health services Richard Kabanda warned communities to maintain vigilance.

“This is critical and an eye opener for the general public. Many people thought Uganda had no COVID or it was different from what the rest of the world is facing. But we have now seen that COVID is real, dangerous and kills.”

Her death prompted the Mbale District COVID-19 taskforce to cordon off Joy Hospice Center and quarantine 16 health workers and more than 30 other people who are believed to have had contact with the deceased.

“The contacts will be monitored daily for fourteen days as per protocol by district surveillance teams supported by Ministry of Health experts who will be deployed in the district. The listed contacts so far include family members, and healthcare workers,” said Mwebesa.

“The process of contact identification and listing is still ongoing, and we believe the number of contacts may increase as the extensive epidemiological investigation evolves.”

On Thursday morning, Isaac Wepondi, the Acting Medical Officer Mbale Municipal Council, who is also the COVID-19 Quarantine Center manager, told URN that they were tracing for all the people who had left the health center.

“We are now going to look for those people who were at Joy Hospice Center at the time the deceased was there but left such that they are also quarantined,” he said.

Wepondi said all the patients who were in the health center will not be allowed to leave until they complete the fourteen days mandatory quarantine period.

According to the World Health Organisation-WHO, over 15,000 people have succumbed to Covid19 on the African continent. Uganda was one of three African countries that were yet to record any death.

Eritrea and Seychelles now remain standing.

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