South Sudan’s Ministry of Health has announced that 28 more people have tested positive for coronavirus, raising the total number to 34.
Dr. Thuou Loi Cingoth, the health ministry’s spokesperson, told Radio Tamazuj this evening that the new patients had been in close contact with the fifth victim.
“We have 28 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Juba. All the new cases are South Sudanese nationals who had been in close contact with the fifth case,” Dr Loi said.
“The fifth patient was brought from Tonj area, so the new cases are those who came into contact with the fifth case,” he added.
According to the ministry’s spokesman, First Vice President Riek Machar will provide more details about the new cases.
Several social media users have raised concerns about the spread of the illness through the population.
South Sudan government stepped up measures to arrest the spread of the illness last month, temporarily shutting schools and universities, barring fans from sports events and telling citizens to observe social distancing.
Key symptoms of the new coronavirus include fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. The virus is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes and the droplets land in the mouths and noses of another person.
A person can also get infected with coronavirus by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or their eyes.
The most effective ways to protect yourself and others against COVID-19 are to frequently clean your hands, cover your cough with the bend of elbow or tissue, and maintain a distance of at least 1 meter from people who are coughing or sneezing.