Ministry of Health has today flagged off teams to start conducting rapid testing to assess the prevalence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the community.
Among those to be tested include; market vendors, truck drivers and communities along their routes, communities at border crossing points, religious leaders, weighbridge areas and communities, Local Defense Unit and army officials as well traffic police officers. These are some of the most exposed because of their interaction with multitudes of peoples during the execution of their duties.
Minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng says the testing teams will take blood samples, nose and throat swabs, and the results from the survey will determine Uganda’s subsequent decisions on the coronavirus pandemic.
The country is under lockdown and a 7 pm-6.30 am curfew where movement and transport are restricted for non-esssetial workers.
The airports, schools, places of worship have been closed since March 21 when Uganda recorded its first coronavirus case. President Yoweri Museveni has always said his government would prefer to err on the side of caution rather than get overwhelmed by coronavirus cases.
Currently, Uganda has 79 confirmed cases, 49 recovered cases and no deaths as yet. Government’s early preventive measures have been praised by the international community with the spread seemingly being contained especially when compared to neighbouring East African countries that have seen a spike in cases.
Kenya has registered 363 cases, 14 deaths and 114 recoveries. Tanzania has 299 cases, 10 deaths and 48 recoveries while Rwanda registered 207 and 93 recoveries. Burundi, one of the last countries to confirm COVID-19 cases currently has 11 cases, one death and four recoveries.
Uganda’s latest 19 of 20 COVID-19 cases have come from traffic drivers entering into the country from East African countries. While Uganda closed its borders and the airport, it allowed cargo truck drivers to continue operating - only limiting the cargo crew to just three.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has encouraged countries especially the developing world to conduct as many tests as possible, warning that the pandemic is far from over as countries start to ease their lockdowns.
WHO Monday urged countries to continue to "find, isolate, test and treat all cases."
Speaking at his regular briefing in Geneva, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said declining numbers of new virus cases was certainly a good sign. Tedros, did, however, warn that the pandemic is far from over. He noted increasing trends for the coronavirus in eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America and in parts of Asia
The WHO chief also expressed concerns that some of the efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, such as closing borders, has resulted in the shortages of vaccines and treatments for other diseases, and routine immunization services for diseases such as the flu are being scaled back or shut down.
Tedros urged worldwide solidarity to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. He said that if people are not united, the virus will exploit divisions between individuals and continue to create havoc, leading to more loss of life. He said every life is precious.
The Johns Hopkins University reports more than 3 million cases around the world. The actual number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.