67-Year-Old Nigerian Succumbs to COVID-19 in Uganda

The Ministry of Health has recorded another COVID-19 death bringing the total number of fatalities to three. The Deceased, a 67-year-old male of Nigerian origin and resident of Kisenyi in Kampala died from Kiruddu Referral Hospital where he had been admitted with symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

According to the health ministry, the deceased first sought treatment at an unnamed private facility with cough, fever, chest pain, and difficulty in breathing. However, he was referred to Kiruddu when his condition deteriorated. His samples were analyzed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute and found positive for COVID. The  Ministry in a statement said that so far 15 of his contacts have been listed.

Globally, more than 650,000 people have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, while the number of coronavirus infections has hit 17 million people. Nearly a third of the deaths were in Europe, with more than 100,000 deaths recorded since July 9.

Meanwhile, the Ministry has equally dismissed reports of another COVID-19 death in Namisindwa district in Eastern Uganda. Initial reports had indicated that a 27-year-old male, a resident of Namisindwa, who collapsed and died on July 29, 2020, had succumbed to COVID-19. But results from the analysis at Uganda Virus Research Institute have confirmed that he was negative for COVID-19.

In the same vein, the Ministry of Health has confirmed seven new COVID-19 cases bringing the cumulative figure to 1,154. Out of the seven, two are truck drivers who arrived from South Sudan and DRC via Elegu and Bunagana points of entry.  Two others are contacts to previously confirmed cases; one from Gulu and one from Namisindwa districts. The others are alerts from Amuru, and Mbarara district.

The Ugandan authorities also ejected 24 foreign truck drivers who had tested positive for the disease. They include 13 Kenyans, 10 Tanzanians and one Rwandan.