KIU, Western Campus – The Ministry of Health has announced that four new COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in Uganda, as of on May 20, including two cases from community samples, bringing the number of total cases in the country to 264.

The Director-General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health, Dr Henry G Mwebesa announced this development through a press release posted on the Ministry’s official twitter page.

“20th May 2020: The Ministry of Health confirms four (4) new COVID-19 cases from samples that were tested on 19th May 2020. Two of the new confirmed cases are from 500 community samples while the other 2 cases are from 1,728 samples from truck drivers,” the statement reads in part.

According to the same statement, a 28-year old man from Buikwe district, and a contact of one of the truck drivers, tested positive while the other case is a 26-year old Ugandan man who is a resident of Kyambogo, Kampala and is also a contact of one of the previously confirmed drivers.

The two positive truck drivers arrived from Tanzania via the Mutukula border and they are both currently admitted at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital.

The Ministry also revealed that 36 foreign truck drivers including 17 Tanzanians, 15 Kenyans, 3 Eritreans and one Burundian who tested positive were handed back to their countries of origin.

President Yoweri Museveni on Monday, May 18 announced measures to partially ease the lockdown, including free distribution of face masks to all Ugandans above 6 years of age. 

He also said the government will concentrate its efforts on solving the problem of truck drivers, who are now the major COVID-19 threat to the country.

Picture credit: Internet photo