KAMPALA — Uganda has registered its first death from the coronavirus (Covid-19), the health ministry announced on Thursday evening.
In a statement, Dr. Henry Mwebesa the Director General Service said the deceased, a 34 year old Ugandan, was a support staff working with Wasungui Health Centre 11 in Namavia Sub Country Namisindwa District.
Dr Mwebesa explained that she presented with signs and symptoms consist with COVID-19 clinical presentation that key among others, fever, dry cough, headache and difficulty in breathing.
According to Heath authorities, the victim was initially admitted to Wasungui HC II on Wednesday, 15 July and treated for severe pneumonia before she was transferred to Joy Hospice health facility in Mbale on Monday, July 20 where she was isolated in a female ward.
While in isolation, the Ministry of Heath says, her condition deteriorated with difficulty in breathing, cough, chill and headache before she passed on on Tuesday July 21 at 2:00 am.
Postmortem samples from the deceased were positive for coronavirus by four laboratories including Makerere University, Uganda Virus Research Institute, CPHL and Tororo.
“In addition, findings at postmortem showed features of acute pneumonia; findings that are consistent with COVID-19 infection,” Dr. Mwebesa said in a televised address.
“In our earlier report we had indicated that the deceased was not a Ugandan. Further investigations have since established that she was a Ugandan from Manafwa, Bubulo East, Namabya- Namunyali- Sisongofwa,” he added.
So far, 30 contacts to the deceased have been listed and placed under quarantine by the health authorities in Namisindwa and Mbale districts.
The listed contacts so far include family members, and healthcare workers. The process of contact identification and listing is reportedly still ongoing, and we believe the number of contacts may increase as the extensive epidemiological investigation evolves.
“The contacts will be monitored daily for fourteen (14) days as per our protocol by district surveillance teams supported by Ministry of Health experts who will be deployed in the district,” Dr Mwebesa added.
The cumulative confirmed Covid-19 cases of Ugandans is now 1,071 but with no death.
