This archive report was first published on 14 May 2020.
Published on May 14, 2020, the Ministry of Health in Uganda reported 13 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 139.
Of the new cases, 7 were Ugandans, 5 were Kenyans, and 1 was an Eritrean national.
The patients had arrived in the country from Tanzania, South Sudan, and Kenya via the Mutukula, Elegu, and Malaba border posts.
The new cases were identified among 2,104 samples from truck drivers tested at the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe.
Meanwhile, 363 community samples tested on Wednesday came out negative.
Uganda has seen an increase in Covid-19 cases over the past few weeks, with over 61 truck drivers testing positive for the virus.
As a result, 34 truck drivers have been repatriated to their countries, while the rest are being treated in Uganda.
East African member states have proposed that long-distance truckers be tested for Covid-19 before embarking on their journeys to limit the spread of the virus and ensure uninterrupted cross-border trade.
As of Wednesday, Uganda had tested over 65,275 people, with 139 positive cases, 55 recoveries, and no deaths recorded.
Dr. Diana Atwiine, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, confirmed that the government has ordered over 500,000 testing kits for the coronavirus, which are expected to arrive within a week.
