UGANDA: Nine new COVID-19 cases, total at 741

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has risen to 741 after nine new cases were confirmed by the Ministry of Health from samples drawn on Wednesday.

Five of the cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases from Kyotera and Amuru districts, while four of the cases are truck drivers who were detected from the Malaba and Elegu points of entry. Additionally, 31 foreign truck drivers who tested positive were sent back to their countries of origin.

Dr Henry Mwebesa, the Director-General of Health Services says that all new cases have been traced and they are in hospitals receiving treatment.

Uganda has so far discharged 442 of the COVID-19 patients, after testing negative for the virus in two confirmatory tests conducted after treatment.  200 of them were treated using hydroxychloroquine at Entebbe General Hospital.

Dr Misaki Wayengera, the head of the COVID-19 Scientific Committee says that the country continues using hydroxychloroquine, as a core component of the COVID-19 treatment, and is not likely change to dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, which was found to be lifesaving for patients who are critically ill with COVID-19.

Dexamethasone is a steroid that has been used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in a range of conditions, including inflammatory disorders and certain cancers. It has been listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines since 1977 in multiple formulations, and is currently off-patent and affordably available in most countries.

The drug was found to reduce mortality for patients on ventilators by about one third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one fifth, according to preliminary findings shared with WHO. But the benefit was not observed in patients with milder disease.

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