South Sudan’s COVID-19 cases rise to 35 after one tests positive

Africa Live 30.4.2020 By Nyawira Mwangi


Bildetekst: South Sudanese refugees practice social distancing as they wait to access a food distribution at Kakuma camp in Kenya. © UNHCR/Samuel Otieno

 

South Sudan’s Ministry of Health has confirmed one new case of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections to 35.

Makur Matur Koriom, undersecretary in the Ministry of Health of South Sudan who is also the spokesperson of the high-level task force on COVID-19 said the latest case is a 23-year-old female.

He said the new patient has no contact with the previous 34 cases, signalling a spike in community transmissions.

The task force urged the health ministry to expedite the procurement of three more polymerase chain reaction machines to enhance the testing capacity of the public health laboratory.

Koriom urged the public to follow the World Health Organization mandatory guidelines of washing hands with soap, including keeping social distancing as a means to contain the spread of the virus .