The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health has launched a rapid survey which will guide on lifting the Coronavirus (COVID -19) lockdown. The survey will estimate the community prevalence of the virus.
Where is Corona Virus Disease COVID -19 in the community? This is the key question that a new survey launched this morning by the Ministry seeks to answer.
According to the Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, this survey will involve a representative population of truckers and communities along their routes, health workers, market vendors, fishing communities, Taxi drivers, LDUs and religious leaders.
She said the survey is necessary because recently 13 truck drivers who tested positive with COVID -19 traveled through the country and yet not all contacts of the initial patients that have since been treated were tested in time.
Dr. Aceng said it’s better to do this assessment now when the lockdown is still on with less population movements. She says about 20,000 Ugandans will be asked brief information about themselves and then blood and a nasopharyngeal swab will be collected to test for COVID -19.
Currently the country is in week four of the lock down which was directed by President Yoweri Museveni to limit community transmission of the disease and indeed for more than a week, no case has been confirmed from the community even as the country has recorded 79 positive cases. Twenty three of the recent positive cases were of truck drivers.
Aceng says the results of this assessment survey will inform them whether the lock down will be lifted soon or not.
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