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Kitgum, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kitgum District Covid-19 task force is yet to receive test results for a Covid-19 suspect from the Health Ministry; nearly three months after his samples were taken.
A swab sample from the suspect who was quarantined at Pandwong Health Center III was reportedly sent for testing at Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe in April. But Kitgum district health officials say the test results has never been returned since then despite raising their concerns over the delay.
Dr. Alex Olwedo, the Kitgum District Health Officer told Uganda Radio Network in an interview that the suspect was released towards the end of April after completing the mandatory 14 day’s quarantine. Dr. Olwedo says he has contacted the health Ministry severally over the test results but hasn’t received any feedback.
“One of the suspects who was a truck driver had his sample drawn in April and taken for testing. I have contacted the Ministry for the results and tried to trace for them and failed. The suspect is also nowhere to be seen,” he said.
Dr. Olwedo notes that the failure to get the test result leaves them worried about the safety of community members in any case the driver was positive. According to Dr. Olwedo, a similar incident happened nearly a week ago when they also failed to get test results of a female contact to a Covid-19 positive patient in Pandwong Division.
He says they had to send another swab sample of the suspect who had already stayed for more than 14 days in Quarantine, which turned out negative. The Health Ministry Senior Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ainebyona told Uganda Radio Network that the district could have failed to get the test results because of errors in filing.
“It’s just a problem of some of them checking their platforms where they dispatch results, some of them do not know how to use their platforms to check their emails, system or follow up,” he said. The district taskforce has recently come out to protest delays in releasing test results for suspects sent to UVRI and the Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL).
It followed an incident in, which a 34-year-old man was erroneously released from quarantine only for his test results to return positive, nearly two weeks after mixing with his family members and community. Ainebyona asked the district health officer to liaise with him on the particular of the driver to ensure the results are retrieved.
Kitgum District has conducted cumulative tests on 179 Covid-19 suspects. 177 results were returned from UVRI. At least two people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the district.
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