South Sudan's coronavirus cases rise to four

File photo: Dr. Angok Gordon

South Sudan on Friday reported a new coronavirus case, raising its total number of patients to four.

Dr Angok Gordon, the Incident Manager for Coronavirus at the Ministry of Health, told Radio Tamazuj that the new patient had been in close contact with the first victim.

The health official did not give further details about the patient’s identity; including sex and age.

He said contact tracing in Juba would start immediately.

After confirming the third coronavirus case on Thursday, authorities said a total of 65 people who have interacted with the patients had been traced.

There are growing concerns a surge in COVID-19 cases would quickly overwhelm South Sudan's fragile health system.

The government has been urging all residents to adhere to the guidelines in preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus. Besides observing high standards of hygiene, health authorities have been appealing to citizens to avoid unnecessary human contact.

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 worldwide death toll from the novel coronavirus passed 90,000 on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University data.