Uganda confirms first coronavirus case

Uganda confirms first coronavirus case

Uganda has confirmed its first positive coronavirus case.

According to the Daily Monitor, the country’s Health Minister Jane Aceng made the announcement on Saturday night.

“The confirmed case is a 36 year old Ugandan male who arrived from Dubai at 2:00am today, Saturday 21 March 2020 aboard Ethiopian airlines. He presented with symptoms of high fever and poor appetite,” the Ministry of Health said on Twitter.

“During the screening process at the airport, his temperature was 38.7. This prompted the health teams to isolate him at the airport for further follow up. Subsequent temperatures taken at intervals of 30 minutes and one hour remained the same,” the ministry added.

Citizen Digital has learnt the patient is currently in isolation at Entebbe Grade B hotel while passengers who were aboard the same flight are also in quarantine.

The report comes barely hours after President Yoweri Meuseveni announced that no passenger planes would be allowed to enter or leave the country.

“Only cargo planes and their crew members will be allowed in the country. Passengers will not be allowed beginning midnight on Sunday 22 March 2020. No passenger planes will be allowed to enter or leave the country,” he said.

And earlier in the day, the Health Minister had said over 100 samples were tested for COVID-19 disease and all had turned out negative.

“Samples are run three times to be sure they are negative. Sometimes I ask my teams repeat again just to be sure. They have tested and reaffirmed they are negative,” she said.

Coronavirus cases around the world on Saturday stood at 304,334, according to the Worldometer website.

Number of deaths was at 12,983 while those recovered are 94,677.

Tags:

coronavirus

Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000

Leave a Comment

Comments

No comments yet.

latest stories