- The President announced on Wednesday that he had contracted the Coronavirus.
- He said he had had symptoms of a cold and upon taking three tests, one of them tested positive for Covid-19.
Image: STATE HOUSE UGANDA/TWITTER
Uganda's Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of health Diana Atwine has said President Yoweri Museveni is in good health after he tested positive for Covid-19.
The President announced on Wednesday that he had contracted the Coronavirus.
"However, he is in robust heath and continues to perform his duties normally while adhering to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)," she said.
On Wednesday, Museveni said he had had symptoms of a cold and upon taking three tests, one of them tested positive for Covid-19.
In a statement on Thursday, the President explained the events of Wednesday morning, saying he had noticed some mild flu-like symptoms in his right nostril.
This prompted him to call his doctors who took three samples, including one rapid and two PCRs, to test for Covid-19.
"The rapid one was negative and so was one of the PCRs. However, one of the PCRs was positive," he said.
As a precaution before reconfirmation of his health status, the President, who had to travel to deliver the State of the Nation address at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala, drove in separate cars from his wife.
During his speech, he revealed that we was suspected of having the virus.
"When I came back from Kololo, it was confirmed that I had Corona," he added in the statement.
Museveni has since went into self-isolation in Nakasero, Kampala.
He said he had delegated his duties for Thursday and Friday (Heroes' Day in Luwero) to Prime Minister Robinah Nabanjja.
The infection came as a surprise to many considering that Museveni has been known to be cautious with his interactions since the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Noting this, the President explained that he had recently stopped wearing face masks after he started getting allergic reactions in the eyes and throat.
"Do you remember when I lost my voice twice during the elections? That is part of the allergy," he said.
This is the second time that Museveni has had to take leave from his mandate as head of State in the last 53 years.
The other time, he had sinuses and had to take a rest at Mweya.
He has expressed hope that he will attain full recovery soon.
"By God's Grace all is well, and I'm only experiencing mild symptoms. However, I always prefer to err on the side of caution and self-isolate for now," Museveni said.