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Uganda detects first case of Covid variant first found in India

Uganda detects first case of Covid variant first found in India

Coronavirus in Uganda

Uganda has detected the first case of a variant of COVID-19 that was first found in India. This has brought in fears that the East African country might suffer another surge in coronavirus cases.

"Yes, we have got one individual who has that variant," Pontiano Kaleebu, head of the government-run Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) said.

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The variant was detected in an individual who had returned to Uganda from India in the past few days.

Following the identification of this variant, the Health Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Ainebyoona that the country’s task force will meet on Friday to discuss the situation further.

Till now, Uganda has not been severely hit by the deadly coronavirus, like many other African countries. However, the identification of this case has brought in fears that the country might get hit by another surge of cases, especially considering this specific variant has been labelled as one of the most contagious ones.

The strong relationship between Uganda and India can also act as a major exporter of the variant to Uganda.