Rumbek State hospital in Lakes State is at risk of a health crisis since there are no kits for testing the novel coronavirus pandemic, a senior health official said.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Rumbek hospital’s medical director Dr. Bol Amukpiu said a meeting of health officials and partners held last week discussed COVID-19 preventive measures.
"We have now trained health officials on how to identify people with symptoms of coronavirus and how to get patients suspected to have symptoms of coronavirus to an isolation room,” Bol explained.
He, however, said the hospital still lacks testing kits for coronavirus.
"No testing kits for coronavirus have been brought here. We only have an isolation room,” said Bol.
According to the medical director, a Somali trader who came from Uganda and showed symptoms of COVID-19 was put in an isolation room at the hospital, but he is recovering after 14 days in quarantine.
He urged the public to follow guidelines given by the health ministry.
"We have some awareness campaigns going on in the state and they are being carried out by NGOs [Non-Governmental Organizations],” said Bol.
South Sudan has so far recorded four cases of coronavirus.
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.