A suspected coronavirus patient who escaped from the isolation unit at Soroti regional referral hospital has been found.
The 40-year-old, a resident of Kengere Ward in Eastern Division, Soroti Municipality had returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) when he presented with high fever, cough, and flu - the signs associated with COVID-19.
He was shortly taken to the hospital's isolation unit for more tests and examinations. However, the patient on Monday quietly sneaked out of the hospital, raising concern from health workers and the district COVID-19 task force.
Security personnel led by Soroti resident district commissioner (RDC) William Wilberforce Tukei and health workers started a hunt for the suspect who was later found in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Mary Margret Akareut, the senior principal nursing officer at Soroti says the patient escaped when the nurse left him in the unit to collect medical equipment from the store.
Tukei says the escape of the patient is a wake-up call for security to be beefed up at the isolation unit. Although the unit at Soroti regional referral hospital is enclosed in a fence with a gate, there is no security personnel.
Tukei also revealed that some people have started moving in town and other places, which is against the COVID-19 guidelines issued by the president. Emma Akello, a resident of Pamba questioned how the suspect managed to travel from DRC to Soroti without being detected.
One of the police officers in Soroti who preferred anonymity says that the suspect travelled in cargo trucks from DRC.
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