Four COVID-19 positive truck drivers isolated at Arua hospital

Arua, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Four truck drivers who were intercepted at Pakwach on Thursday night after testing positive for COVID-19 have been isolated at Arua Regional Referral Hospital. 

The truck drivers who entered Uganda through Mutukula through Kampala on their way to the Democratic Republic of Congo, were tested and left to continue with their journey, while awaiting their results from the Uganda Virus Research Institute. 

By the time the results were released, the drivers had arrived in Pakwach and were intercepted by the Uganda Revenue Authority-URA team in the area.  They were subsequently transferred to Arua Hospital, which was earlier on gazetted as an isolation centre for COVID-19 patients. 

Dr Joyce Moriku, the State Minister for Primary Healthcare says that the cases will be ably managed at 

But the isolation of the four COVID-19 cases at Arua has caused panic among people in the area with security beefed up around the hospital and in most parts of the town. Seven people who reportedly interacted with the truck drivers before reaching Pakwach town have been quarantined at UCC Pakwach amid close monitoring. 

Arua District Chairman Sam Nyakua has called for more sensitization of the locals to avoid more susceptibility to the pandemic.  

A week ago, political leaders from Gulu blocked the admission of another truck driver who had tested positive to the virus at Gulu Regional Hospital, saying that team at the hospital was ill-prepared to deal with patients of that nature. 

Reports indicate that the fifth truck driver from Tanzania has been intercepted at Vurra customs and is expected to be transferred for admission to Arua for further management later today. This is the first time Arua will be hosting COVID-19 positive cases and quarantined suspects since the outbreak of the pandemic a month ago. 

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