South Sudan’s Ministry of Health said on Tuesday coronavirus deaths in the country rose to 31, after one patient succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours.

Dr Richard Laku, the COVID-19 Incident Manager, said in a statement in Juba that 31 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 1,807. 

The health official added that 89 people have recovered so far and discharged from hospitals. He further said one patient who is severely ill is being treated at the Dr. Garang Infectious Diseases Unit.

Laku urged the public to strictly adhere to preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus.

South Sudan announced its first case of the new coronavirus on April 5.

More than 8 million people have been confirmed to have the coronavirus around the world. Nearly 4 million have recovered, while at least 438,000 have died, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.