Twenty nine Ugandan returnees have tested positive for the coronavirus disease, the country’s ministry of health has said.
The ministry announced this when it gave an update on the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in the country, noting that of the 29 returnees who tested positive for COVID-19, 25 were from Saudi Arabia; three were from India and one was from Norway.
It added that Uganda recorded 270 new confirmed coronavirus cases raising the national total to 6,287.
Of the 270 cases, 240 were contacts and alerts while 29 were returnees and one was a truck driver.
Kampala – the Ugandan capital – recorded the highest numbers of the 240 contacts and alerts with a total of 59 (about 22 per cent) followed by Gulu with 56 cases.
The other districts which recorded at least 10 cases were: Oyam (22), Mbale (17), Wakiso (15) and Moroto (10).
Meanwhile, the lone Ugandan truck driver who tested positive was coming from neighboring Kenya.
The ministry did not report any new fatalities as the death toll remained at 63 while the number of recoveries rose to 2,616 after 35 more people recovered from the virus.
Over the last few weeks, Uganda has recorded a steady rise in COVID-19 cases prompting authorities to remind the public to adhere to health regulations or else face a reinstatement of strict measures to contain the spread of the pandemic.
According to statistics, Uganda is experiencing a sharp rise in the number of infections later than the rest of the countries in the East African region, and, generally, the rest of Africa.
On Saturday, the ministry reported a new record number of daily infections with 423 cases surpassing the previous record of 326 cases reported a week ago.
In just the last four days, Uganda has reported a total of 1,021 cases, accounting for 16.23 percent of the total number reported since the country’s first case.