Today, Uganda has received the highest number of the Corona Virus Covid-19 infections with 308 new cases in a single day.
Among these include prisoners, truck drivers, health workers and alerts & contacts to previous patients found positive.
However, Amuru Prisons almost reported half of this total, with 154 cases of which 153 are prison inmates and the other a prison staff.
According to the minister of health in Uganda Hon Ruth Aceng, Last week, one of the prisoners at Amuru prisons presented with COVID-19 like signs and symptoms. The response teams on the ground immediately investigated and isolated this case and listed a total of 20 contacts, of which one turned positive for COVID-19.
The confirmed inmate was admitted at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital and has since recovered and been discharged. The Ministry of Health undertook further investigations in Amuru Prisons.
Out of the 205 inmates, 153 inmates tested positive. Out of the 28 prison staff, 1 tested positive for COVID-19.
The Ministry working with Uganda Prisons Services has since relocated all the confirmed 152 inmates to Gulu Central Prison which is acting as an auxiliary isolation facility.The prison staff is admitted in Gulu Regional Referral Hospital.
The inmates are currently being attended to by a combined team from Mulago National Referral Hospital and Gulu RRH supporting the Uganda Prisons Services health team for appropriate management.
Amuru Prison is a holding prison where new prisoners are admitted before being transferred to the regular prison facility. Due to this fact, it is possible that a prisoner from Amuru community could have been taken to the prison with infection while asymptomatic.
In any case, Amuru Districts is one of the hotspot districts with a high level of community transmission.
