Health Ministry explains delay in release of Covid-19 results

The Ministry of Health has explained circumstances under which it has delayed releasing the Coronavirus test results for Sunday.

The ministry on Sunday evening failed to release the day’s Covid-19 results prompting social media commentators to start questioning the move.

However, the ministry in a tweet explained that the delay was caused by the recent directive by President Museveni not to allow truck drivers who have tested positive into the country.

“Following the presidential directive of only allowing in truck drivers who test negative, samples had to be sorted appropriately. Samples therefore had to be divided between Uganda Virus Research Institute and Uganda National Health Laboratory Services for quick turnaround time,” the ministry tweeted.

According to their explanation, the Ministry of Health noted that testing at  Uganda National Health Laboratory Services started late at around 7:30pm and hence the delay in announcing the results.

“Results will be communicated shortly.”

President Museveni on Saturday directed that only truck drivers who test negative for Coronavirus will be allowed into the country.

According to the directive, Ugandan truck drivers who test positive will however be evacuated directly to hospitals for treatment.

Consequently, all truck drivers employed in Uganda will undergo a mandatory testing for Coronavirus according to the Minister for Health, Dr.Jane Ruth Aceng who met with representatives of the Truck Owners and National Logistics Platform.

“They agreed to adopt and will implement a Truck Driver Journey Management System which is a mobile application for all truck drivers to be monitored as they proceed with the journey,”Aceng said in a tweet on Saturday.

The latest move by government will be a sigh of relief for Ugandans who had been worried as the country continues to register many cases involving cargo drivers from neighbouring countries.

Currently, of the 227 confirmed Coronavirus cases in Uganda, 167(74%) are truck drivers including  71 Kenyans,  46 Ugandans, 37 Tanzanians, 7 Eritreans, three Burundians one South Sudanese and one with an unknown nationality, a situation that has worried Ugandans.

On Tuesday, East African presidents including Museveni, Paul Kagame(Rwanda), Uhuru Kenyatta(Kenya) and Salva Kiir from South Sudan held a video conference meeting in which the issue of truck drivers was extensively discussed.

It was agreed that each country tests truck drivers and issue them with certificates before leaving for their destinations.

“The heads of state decided that partner states adopt a harmonised system for certification and sharing of covid-19 test results,” the joint communiqué signed by the four presidents read in part.

“The heads of state directed the focal persons to immediately work on a regional mechanism for testing and certification of truck drivers prior to their departure at the point of origin and every two weeks report to the heads of state.”

Ugandan has since commissioned Port Health laboratory at the Mutukula boder with Tanzania that will see truck drivers tested and results released within 45 minutes.

The Ministry of Health recently revealed that more laboratories will be put at the various border points to make testing easy and fast unlike before when samples had to be taken to the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe.

The post Health Ministry explains delay in release of Covid-19 results appeared first on Nile Post.