By Rogers Wanambwa 

KIU, Main Campus - The Ministry of Health has announced 21 new COVID-19 cases from the 1,593 samples tested on Thursday, bringing the national total to 160, the highest number registered in one day since the outbreak of the Coronavirus in Uganda. 

The new cases include 5 Ugandans, 8 Kenyans, 7 Tanzanians and 1 South Sudanese who arrived via Mutukula, Busia and Elegu borders respectively according to the ministry. 

"Today, 14 May 2020, 21 new COVID-19 cases confirmed from 1,593 samples of truck drivers. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases to 160 in Uganda. All 303 community samples have tested negative for COVID-19." tweeted Dr Jane Ruth Acheng, the Minister of Health. 

Total samples tested at Uganda Virus Research Institute yesterday were 1,896.

Meanwhile, the minister assured the public in her address yesterday that the cases are a small percentage, and that even the sporadic testing that so far has had 14,061(of the planned 23,000) participants, yielded only 0.03% community transmission. Only four sporadic cases tested positive including; two police officers, a Ugandan student returnee from Bukoba in Tanzania and a truck driver in Rakai. 

She added that a rapid assessment survey team that was flagged off on April 28th, 2020 to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 in the communities had carried out nose and throat swabs from random individuals including the riskiest personnel such as the clergy, market vendors, police and army officers. Blood samples were also taken.   

"This means that there are no COVID-19 transmissions in the community," the minister assured the public. She said Uganda's Coronavirus main risk now remains the cross-border truck drivers. 

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