36 new cases of COVID-19 Confirmed

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  The number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the country now stands at 317 after 36 new cases were recorded from tests conducted on Thursday.

The new cases comprise 24 truck drivers who entered the country through the Elegu, Malaba and Lia points of entry. At least 20 of drivers entered through the Elegu border point,  while 12 of the reported new cases were picked from members of the community.

The 12 cases, according to the health ministry, were under quarantine at the time they were tested and did not present a very high risk in the communities where they are based. Another 26 positive foreign truck drivers were sent back to their country of origin. At the moment, Uganda has a total of 217 active cases still receiving treatment from 16 health facilities across the country.

As the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise and the government starts lifting the lockdown, the health ministry has also unveiled a mobile application that can assist Ugandans to diagnose COVID-19.

The application called, ‘ Call The Clinic’, will facilitate remote diagnosis of a patient while at the same instantly notifying the heth ministry of possible new cases of the disease within the community the moment someone seeks a diagnosis.

The application was developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Information & Communication Technology and the National Guidance with support from CTI-Africa, a private IT company.

Dr Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health says the application will play a vital role in identifying positive symptomatic patients, especially since the country has begun lifting the lockdown.

“In the coming days, we should be more vigilant on fighting the spread of the Corona virus, and I am confident that with the application we will be able to provide timely medical information and immediate action, this will also let us get back to our normal routines faster,” said Dr Atwine.

Member of the public who have the application will be able to know whether they might have the disease by simply stating their symptoms. For one to use the application, they will have to download it from Google Play Store. The application needs the internet to run.

The application was launched with no policy on telemedicine or remote medicine in the country. Previous innovations of this nature though praised by members of the public have in the past generated criticism by the health ministry due to the lack of the interactive nature of medicine that is practice when a doctor sees a patient face to face.

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