The Ministry of Health has procured a total of 500,000 coronavirus testing kits days after it emerged that the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI)  had run out of kits. The shortage affected the national assessment exercise which has since been halted.

The permanent secretary of the Health Ministry Dr Diana Atwine, confirmed the procurement, saying that “We have ordered more than 500,000 test kits. Every money we get, we put on testing kits because it is a very critical area to us.

She added that the money to buy kits is there, but getting them is hard, “The manufacturers are very few,” Dr Atwine said..

Atwine said the ministry is looking to diversify means of testing beyond the use of PCR machines, including Genexpert machines and serological tests.

Uganda currently has 139 cases of coronavirus.