Uganda’s Ministry of Health on Thursday reported 158 new coronavirus cases raising the national total to 8,287.
Majority of the new cases (125) were reported from contacts and alerts with the capital Kampala accounting for most of them (76 or about 61 percent). The remaining 26 areas each recorded between a minimum of one case and a maximum of four cases.
The other 33 new cases were all Ugandan returnees from Oman (18), Jordan (10) and Afghanistan (5).
The East African country has reported at least 110 confirmed coronavirus cases for the last 18 straight days; this included a new record highest daily increase in cases.
Despite this recent trend, President Yoweri Museveni announced a further easing of COVID-19-related restrictions in the country.
Museveni said the country could not perpetually remain under restrictions as he cited the deterioration of the economy.
For a fourth straight day, no new coronavirus-related deaths were recorded leaving the nationwide death toll at 75.
The ministry also reported 170 new recoveries from the disease raising the total to 4,430.
On Wednesday, the Health minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero received medical equipment worth $250,000, procured by the World Health Organisation, to boost the COVID-19 response.
The equipment included a number of High Flow Nasal Cannulas among others which will be used to strengthen care for severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients.
