The Ministry of Health would like to inform the public that Uganda has registered one COVID-19 death today. This brings the total COVID-19 deaths to five (5).
The deceased, is a 46-year-old female of Indian origin and resident of Kibuli in Kampala.
On August 1, 2020, she presented at Kibuli Muslim Hospital with signs and symptoms consistent with COVID-19 which include: mild fever, cough and difficulty in breathing. Upon suspecting COVID-19, the Kibuli Muslim Hospital team referred her to Mulago National Referral hospital for further management on the same day. Unfortunately, she passed away on her way to Mulago hospital.
Further investigations revealed that she was diabetic and off medication and had a history of asthma for 10 years.
Both diabetes and asthma are risk factors for COVID-19.
Samples were taken off from her body arid sent to laboratories for analysis.
The samples were analyzed at three different laboratories; Makerere University, Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) and Central Public Health Laboratories confirmed SARS-COV-2. The process of contact tracing and listing is on-going.
Additionally, samples taken from a suspected COVID-19 death in Kiruhura district have tested NEGATIVE for COVID-19.
In the same vein, thirteen (13) new COVID-19 cases were confirmed from samples tested on 02^d August, 2020. Out of the thirteen (13) confirmed cases; – four (4) are truck drivers, five (5) are contacts to previously confirmed cases, two (2) are returnees, while two (2) alerts from Buikwe and Kampala Metropolitan Area, mentioned above and succumbed to the disease.
Regarding the four (4) truck drivers, two (2) arrived from DRC via Bunagana Point of Entry while two (2) arrived from Kenya via Malaba Point of Entry.
Two (2) returnees arrived from USA and were under quarantine at the time of test. The five (5) contacts to previously confirmed cases; three (3) are from Kampala Metropolitan Area while two (2) are from Gulu District. All were under quarantine at the time of test.
Eighteen (18) foreign truck drivers (11 Kenyans, 5 Tanzanians and 2 Congolese) tested positive for COVID-19 at the border points of entry and their entry into the country was not permitted.