Gulu Hospital Discharges 3 Kenyan COVID-19 Patients, Recoveries Rise to 82

The Gulu Regional Referral Hospital on Tuesday discharged 3 COVID-19 patients who were successfully treated and healed.

This brings the total number of COVID-19 recoveries in Uganda to 82.

The Minister of State for Primary Health Care Joyce Moriku Kaducu who presided over the discharge announced that the 3 recovered patients are Kenyan nationals.

“Three Kenyan nationals who have been undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital have been discharged,” Kaducu announced on her official Twitter page.

The patients were discharged after they tested negative twice for COVID-19.

This brings the total number of COVID-19 patients who have been successfully treated and healed at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital to 4.

Despite the tremendous effort by health workers who have so far managed to successfully treat and discharge 82 COVID-19 patients in the country, the number of cases is increasing by the day, most of them being truck drivers arriving from outside Uganda.

The Ministry of Health on Tuesday confirmed 32 new COVID-19 cases in Uganda bringing the total number of cases in the country to 489.

According to the statement issued by Dr. Charles Olaro on behalf of Director General Health Services Henry Mwebesa, of the 32 new cases, 19 are from points of entry while 13 are from contacts and alerts.

Of the new cases, 19 were from 1,693 samples from points of entry while 13 were from 432 samples of contacts and alerts.

Among the 19 new cases from points of entry, 14 were truck drivers who arrived from South Sudan via Elegu, 2 arrived from Kenya via Malaba, another 2 also arrived from Kenya via Busia, and 1 arrived from Tanzania via Mutukula.

Of the 13 new cases of contacts to previously confirmed cases, 7 were from Kyotera, 2 from Tororo, 1 from Wakiso, 1 from Yumbe, 1 from Mpigi, and 1 from Gomba.

Additionally, Olaro said that 25 foreign truck drivers (9 Tanzanians, 12 Kenyans, 1 Eritrean, 1 Congolese, and 1 truck driver whose nationality is not captured) tested positive for COVID-19 and were handed back to their respective countries of origin.

Currently, Uganda has a total of 489 COVID-19 confirmed cases of whom 391 are admitted in 15 Referral Hospitals in the country while 82 have recovered from the disease.