Long Distance Truck Drivers and the Increasing Risk of COVID-19 Spread in Uganda

Abstract

Subgroups of a population may carry higher risk for infection during an epidemic and constitute a core group. In Uganda, the epidemic of COVID-19 has been very dynamic. The first case of COVID-19 was detected in a returning traveller from Asia, and many more similar cases followed. Evidence of local transmission was unveiled when the first local case from an individual who had no history of foreign travel was detected. Thereafter, many new cases emerged from an unexpected source among long distance truck drivers arriving at border points. The truck drivers have become a core group for COVID-19 in Uganda and have generated significant local transmission which now threatens a full blown epidemic in the country unless strict controls are put in place. Funding Statement: None. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.