KAMPALA — Uganda is tracing for a 27 year old Kenyan national truck driver who tested positive for coronavirus following routine testing for truck drivers at all Uganda border entries.
The 27-year-old male Kenyan was among 1,114 truck drivers who were tested on Sunday April 19.
“One new case confirmed among 1,114 truck drivers today,” Uganda’s Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said.
“The new case is a 27 year old Kenyan truck driver who arrived at Malaba border and efforts are underway to track him and evacuate him back to Kenya,” she added.
Ministry of Health says the driver will be repatriated to Kenya for treatment, meaning, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Uganda remain at 55.
Dr. Aceng said 350 samples from the community were also carried out with all return negative for COVID-19.
The drivers had crossed over into Uganda from the neigbouring countries in the last few days.
This is the fourth long distance truck driver to test positive for coronavirus in Uganda. He is however the second Kenyan national to test positive for coronavirus in Uganda.
On Tuesday, April 14, President Yoweri Museveni extended the national lockdown for another 21 days to allow the country to study the situation longer.
Addressing the nation on Sunday night, President Museveni congratulated Ugandans for the progress realised thus far in the fight against the coronavirus.
“We have defeated the locusts, we shall defeat coronavirus, we shall defeat the floating island. I really want to congratulate all of you Ugandans.”
The President however, said that anybody who has died of the coronavirus “must be buried where they have died”.
While some Ugandans have died of the virus abroad, Uganda has not registered any COVID-19-related death within its boundaries.
So far, 55 people have been tested positive for the virus in Uganda, with 28 discharged after successful treatment.
