A baby, 8 months old, was among the five newly confirmed Covid-19 cases in Uganda, which brought the country's total tally to 14.
While addressing the media on Wednesday, March 25, Uganda's Director General of Health Services Henry Mwebesi stated that that the baby had been rushed to a hospital in Iganga, after developing difficulty in breathing, a high fever and a cough.
A publication by the Ugandan Parliament on March 25, alleged that the baby may have picked up the virus from his father who had recently travelled to Kisumu.
After being tested at the medical facility, the baby was diagnosed with Covid-19 virus.
The Ugandan Ministry of Health has since deployed a team of experts to the child's home to collect samples from family members who may have come into contact with the baby or father, for testing.
Of the five confirmed cases in Uganda, two are Chinese nationals who had were nabbed trying to escape into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and forcefully quarantined where they tested positive.
The other two are a 63-year-old man who recently travelled from Germany and a 57-year-old businessman.
Joyce Moriku, Uganda's Minister of State for Primary Healthcare stated that the Chinese nationals would not be presented in court for the time being, over fears of further spread of the virus.
“Dear Ugandans, this is a very critical moment for everyone as the number of positive cases keeps scaling up. Five more people have been confirmed positive, including two of the six Chinese nationals that were intercepted in Zombo. They cannot be presented in court for fear of further spread,” Moriku stated.
The country has now diagnosed 12 Ugandans with the virus, with the rest being Chinese nationals.
The government of Uganda has since moved to ban all travel in and out of the country.
President Yoweri Museveni had on Saturday, March 21 announced that only emergency plane landings would be allowed into the country.
