South Sudan’s coronavirus cases soar to 45

The coronavirus under a microscope (File photo)

The number of coronavirus cases in South Sudan on Friday jumped to 45 after 10 more people tested positive.

Making the announcement, the Undersecretary of the National Ministry of Health Dr. Makur Koryom said 10 more people have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 45.

“Out of the 10 cases, two are truck drivers who were stopped at Nimule border. Two other cases are domestic travellers who were planning to travel to one of the states in the country,” he said.

Makur, who is also the spokesperson of the country’s high-level taskforce on COVID-19, said the other six cases are those who had been in close contact with the sixth patient.

“This raises an alarm and it sends a strong message to us that we need to do a lot. The communities must understand that the disease is here among us and that we must work hard to ensure that we minimize the risk of spreading the disease further,” he said.

Makur further said aid workers will now be quarantined for at least 14 days before they could be allowed to travel to the states.

“Health workers of Ministry of Health will be allowed to freely access that confining facility to monitor the staff, only then they will be allowed to travel to the states,” he added.

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.

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.