Seven Laboratories Cleared To Start Testing For COVID-19 in Uganda


Until today, the country was only using the Entebbe based Uganda Virus Research Institute-UVRI to conduct COVID-19 tests.

The new centres include Makerere University's department of microbiology and immunology, National Health Laboratory Services, the Infectious Disease Research Collaboration in Tororo district, the Uganda Virus Research Institute Plague Laboratory in Arua district, Gulu University, Rakai Health Sciences Laboratory and the Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital laboratory.

According to the health ministry, the locations were chosen based on the dynamics of infection spread of the disease and the availability of testing reagents. Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng announced this during the third national COVID-19 briefing held today in Kampala.

She said that currently, the Uganda Virus Research Institute is running between 2000-3000 tests every day. However, with the addition of new laboratories, the county could run up to 10,000 tests. The introduction of the new laboratories comes at a time when the health ministry is planning to carry out mass surveillance where they are targeting to test at least 8.6 million Ugandans. As of today, a total of 139 people have tested positive for the disease out of over 65,000 people who have been tested.


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