KAMPALA — The Ministry of Health on Saturday March confirmed seven new cases of coronavirus in Uganda bringing the total number to 30.
The ministry announced the latest figures through a tweet on it’s official handle.
“7 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Uganda today, Saturday 28 March 2020. This brings the total to 30 confirmed cases in the country.
Out of 225 samples run today, 218 samples have tested negative for COVID-19,” the ministry wrote.
The ministry did not provide details of the patients but the higher percentage of those diagnosed with COVID19 are travellers who returned from Dubai.
Uganda was previously not checking travelers from Dubai, saying it was not a high-risk country.
President Yoweri Museveni on Saturday morning said there might be need for more drastic measures to curb spread.
In a statement shared on his personal social media pages including Facebook Museveni said he’ll let the country know what these measures are.
“We may have to take additional drastic measures. I will keep you informed,” the president wrote.
Although the number is growing, Mr. Museveni however said he remains happy to see that the majority of returnees from Dubai’s United Arab Emirates are negative which means they don’t have the virus.
However, he says the worry is that the people who are positive had circulated in the population but “the medical teams will trace all the contacts and check on them.”
The President has already closed schools, Churches and other social gatherings to stop the spread of the coronavirus. He also closed borders, the airport and banned public transport as well as roadside markets.
The remaining option is close offices and announce a total lockdown.
