In a statement issued this morning, the Senior Health Ministry Publicist, Emmanuel Ainebyoona, says no single COVID-19 case has been registered in the country. He also clarifies that the Health Ministry surveillance teams received an alert from Royal Complex on Friday of a lady suspected to have COVID-19 infection.
There is no confirmed Corona case in Uganda, the Health Ministry has revealed. This stems from information that circulated on social media on Friday indicating that there was a suspected Corona patient from downtown, Kampala.
The Facebook post claimed that an Indian national staying at one of the buildings next to Majestic Plaza had collapsed and was presenting with signs of the Virus. Makerere University School of Health Science responded to the alert by dispatching a team of experts from the Infectious Disease Institute-IDI.
In a statement issued this morning, the Senior Health Ministry Publicist, Emmanuel Ainebyoona, says no single COVID-19 case has been registered in the country. He also clarifies that the Health Ministry surveillance teams received an alert from Royal Complex on Friday of a lady suspected to have COVID-19 infection.
He explains that their teams responded to the alert using a vehicle and ambulance belonging to Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) to approach the said premises. “Upon reaching the said room, a lady occupant revealed that she was undergoing self-quarantine as any other person who has just returned from the flagged high risk countries with the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ainebyoona says.
Adding that, “The team’s assessment found out this lady had no signs and symptoms but recommended she completes her period of self-quarantine. They will continue monitoring her until when she gets a certificate of completing Self-quarantine.” IDI has since reiterated that it didn’t evacuate any suspected patient from downtown, Kampala.
The Ministry has urged the public that while they should remain vigilant and calm, they should equally refrain from spreading false rumors. The ministry has issued two toll-free lines 0800100066 or 0800-203-033 for the public to report in case of an alert. COVID – 19 that was first reported in China on December 31, 2019 has so far spread to over 100 countries globally.
The virus has infected more than 120,000 people and claimed 4000 others prompting WHO to declare it a global pandemic.
Story by Davidson Ndyabahika
