COVID-19 in Uganda: Epidemiology and Response

Uganda has had a relatively large share of zoonotic disease outbreaks in the past and this has impacted its preparedness and response level in combatting the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. Compared to most countries in the East African Community, Africa and the world, Uganda seems to be effectively curtailing the spread of the virus and managing the disease despite its relatively weak healthcare system and economy. The first COVID-19 case was confirmed on March 21st, 2020 and as at May 6th, 2020, there has only been 100 cases confirmed from 47,620 tests carried out. Also, as at this date, there has been 55 recoveries and no reported death from the disease. These promising statistics prompts the development of this paper to detail the epidemiology of the disease in the country and discuss the response of the government and other stakeholders to the outbreak.