South Sudan reported its first coronavirus case today, one of the last African nations to confirm the presence of COVID-19 within its borders.
“South Sudan confirms one case of coronavirus,” Riek Machar, the country’s first vice president, told a press conference in the capital Juba.
Machar identified the patient as a 29-year-old woman who arrived in South Sudan from the Netherlands via Ethiopia on February 28.
Her nationality was not given.
In a statement, the UN Mission in South Sudan said the woman is a member of its staff.
She tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday after presenting herself at a UN clinic on Thursday.
“The Ministry of Health is leading a full investigation with the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention including identifying and following up all the possible contacts and next steps,” Machar said.
