COVID-19 pandemic in South Sudan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

COVID-19 pandemic in South Sudan
COVID-19 Cases in South Sudan.svg
Map of cases by state as of 15 January 2021. Some cases are not shown if their location is unknown
  0 cases or no data
  1–9 cases
  10–49 cases
  50–99 cases
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationSouth Sudan
Arrival date5 April 2020
(1 year, 5 months, 1 week and 5 days)
Confirmed cases11,207 (as of 17 August)[1]
Active cases382 (as of 17 August)
Recovered10,917 (as of 17 August)
Deaths
170 (as of 17 August)

The COVID-19 pandemic in South Sudan is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached South Sudan on 5 April 2020. The first four confirmed cases were all UN workers.[2]

Timeline[]

COVID-19 cases in South Sudan  (
  • v
  • t
)
     Deaths        Recoveries        Active cases
20202021
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAug
Last 15 days
Date
# of cases
# of deaths
2021-08-02
​
​
​
 11,063(+0.13%) 119(=)
2021-08-03
​
​
​
 11,076(+0.12%) 120(+0.84%)
2021-08-04
​
​
​
 11,081(+0.05%) 120(=)
2021-08-05
​
​
​
 11,090(+0.08%) 120(=)
2021-08-06
​
​
​
 11,100(+0.09%) 120(=)
2021-08-07
​
​
​
 11,100(=) 120(=)
2021-08-08
​
​
​
 11,100(=) 120(=)
2021-08-09
​
​
​
 11,121(+0.19%) 120(=)
2021-08-10
​
​
​
 11,139(+0.16%) 120(=)
2021-08-11
​
​
​
 11,141(+0.02%) 120(=)
2021-08-12
​
​
​
 11,143(+0.02%) 120(=)
2021-08-13
​
​
​
 11,172(+0.26%) 120(=)
2021-08-14
​
​
​
 11,172(=) 120(=)
2021-08-15
​
​
​
 11,172(=) 120(=)
2021-08-16
​
​
​
 11,195(+0.21%) 120(=)
Sources:


Prevention efforts[]

On 14 March, South Sudan suspended flights to countries affected by coronavirus.[4] On 20 March, classes in all schools and universities were suspended until 19 April, and Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi ordered the suspension of sporting, social, political, and religious gatherings for 6 weeks.[5] This was followed on 25 March by a nighttime curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.[6][7] On 27 March, around 500 people in quarantine from Sudan escaped in Renk, leading to northern Upper Nile State being placed under lockdown for 14 days.[8] From 25 March, after the coronavirus reached Mali, to 5 April 2020, South Sudan was the largest country by area without any confirmed cases of COVID-19.

South Sudan has a population of 14 million people but only 4 ventilators.[6]

April 2020[]

On 5 April, the first case of COVID-19 in the country was confirmed in a 29-year-old patient, a United Nations worker who arrived on 28 February from the Netherlands[6] via Ethiopia.[9] South Sudan thus became the 51st African country (out of 54) to confirm a case.[6] The patient was quarantined at a UN facility and contact tracing efforts were undertaken.

The second case of COVID-19 was confirmed on 7 April; the patient was another female United Nations worker, aged 53, who arrived from Nairobi on 23 March and self-quarantined.[10] The third case on 9 April was also a female United Nations worker who had been in contact with the first patient.[11]

On 9 April, the Ministry of General Education announced it was preparing a distance learning program for primary and secondary school students via radio and television.[12] On 13 April, South Sudan suspended flights and public transportation between the states and between Juba and the states.[13]

Unlike the first cases, the fifth and sixth cases on 23 and 25 April were confirmed to be South Sudanese nationals.[14]

After 28 people tested positive on 28 April, the curfew was extended to be from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., all restaurants were only allowed to be takeout, and all passenger boda bodas were banned.[15]

A total of 35 patients tested positive in April. All 35 were active cases at the end of the month.[16]

May 2020[]

Although cases were still increasing, South Sudan began the process of reopening on 7 May. The curfew was decreased to 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., boda bodas were allowed to have one passenger and rickshaws two passengers, if both the driver and the passengers wore face masks, and shops were allowed to reopen with a maximum of five occupants at a time.[17] On 12 May, airports were reopened for local, regional, and international flights.[18]

On 14 May, South Sudan reported its first death from COVID-19.[19]

On 18 May, First Vice President Riek Machar announced he and his wife, Angelina Teny, had tested positive for the virus.[20] On 19 May 2020, Information Minister Michael Makue Loweth and all members of the nation's 15-member coronavirus task force tested positive for COVID-19.[21] Another Vice President, Hussein Abdelbagi, the head of the COVID-19 Task Force, tested positive on May 27.[22] Vice President James Wani Igga announced he had tested positive on May 30.[23]

There were 959 new cases in May, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 994. Ten persons died in May while six patients recovered, leaving 978 active cases at the end of the month.[24]

June 2020[]

In June there were 1013 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2007. The death toll rose by 28 to 38. The number of recovered patients increased to 279, leaving 1690 active cases at the end of the month.[25]

Model-based simulations indicate that the 95% confidence interval for the time-varying reproduction number R t was below 1.0 in June and July.[26]

July 2020[]

Towards the middle of July, business owners in Aweil reported that the pandemic had caused food prices to rise and that the number of customers in restaurants had decreased.[27] On July 24, officials in Eastern Equatoria State reported an increase in the number of teenage pregnancies during the lockdown, which could lead to more school dropouts.[28]

There were 345 new cases in July, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2352. The death toll rose by eight to 46. The number of recovered patients increased to 1205, leaving 1101 active cases at the end of the month.[29]

August 2020[]

There were 167 new cases in August, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2519. The death toll rose to 47. The number of active cases increased to 1190 at the end of the month, 8% more than at the end of July.[30]

September 2020[]

The government reopened schools in September after six months of closure.[31] There were 185 new cases in September, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2704. The death toll rose to 49. The number of recovered patients increased to 1438, leaving 1217 active cases at the end of the month.[32]

October 2020[]

There were 222 new cases in October, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2926. The death toll rose to 59. There were 1557 active cases at the end of the month.[33]

November 2020[]

There were 183 new cases in November, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3109. The death toll rose to 61. There were 94 active cases at the end of the month.[34]

December 2020[]

There were 449 new cases in December, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 3558. The death toll rose to 63. The number of recovered patients increased to 3131, leaving 364 active cases at the end of the month.[35]

January 2021[]

There were 403 new cases in January, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 3961. The death toll rose to 64. The number of recovered patients increased to 3613, leaving 284 active cases at the end of the month.[36]

February 2021[]

The number of confirmed cases more than doubled in February, to 8010. The death toll rose to 94. The number of recovered patients increased to 4217, leaving 3699 active cases at the end of the month.[37]

March 2021[]

There were 2187 new cases in March, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 10197. The death toll rose to 112. The number of recovered patients increased to 9710, leaving 375 active cases at the end of the month.[38]

April 2021[]

Vaccination started on 6 April, initially with 132,000 doses of AstraZeneca's Covishield vaccine provided through the COVAX pillar.[39] After a slow roll-out, South Sudan decided to return 72,000 doses to COVAX and aim to administer the remaining 60,000 doses before their expiry date.

Health ministry officials announced on 19 April that 60,000 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine donated by the African Union and MTN Group would be destroyed because of their short expiry date.[40]

There were 386 new cases in April, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 10583. The death toll rose to 115. The number of recovered patients increased to 10312, leaving 156 active cases at the end of the month.[41]

May 2021[]

There were 105 new cases in May, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 10688. The death toll remained unchanged. The number of recovered patients increased to 10514, leaving 59 active cases at the end of the month.[42]

June 2021[]

There were 158 new cases in June, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 10846. The death toll rose to 117. The number of recovered patients remained unchanged, leaving 203 active cases at the end of the month.[43]

July 2021[]

There were 217 new cases in July, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 11063. The death toll rose to 119. The number of recovered patients increased to 10799, leaving 145 active cases at the end of the month.[44]

August 2021[]

There were 383 new cases in August, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 11446. The death toll rose to 120. The number of recovered patients increased to 11112, leaving 214 active cases at the end of the month.[45]

Data[]

Cumulative number of confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths

Confirmed new cases per day

Confirmed deaths per day

Number of tests per day

Number of confirmed cases by age

Number of cases by sex

See also[]

  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  • COVID-19 pandemic by country and territory

References[]

  1. ^ "Daily Updates". Ministry of Health Republic of South Sudan. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Briefing: What's behind South Sudan's COVID-19 inspired UN-backlash". The New Humanitarian. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  3. ^ "South Sudan Coronavirus - Worldometer". www.worldometers.info. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  4. ^ "South Sudan halts flights to countries affected by coronavirus". Radio Tamazuj. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  5. ^ "South Sudan closes schools, universities amid coronavirus fears". Radio Tamazuj. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Mayra Ajack, South Sudan 51st of 54 African nations to report virus case, Associated Press (5 April 2020).
  7. ^ "South Sudan imposes nighttime curfew over coronavirus". Radio Tamazuj. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Northern Upper Nile under lockdown after citizens escaped from quarantine". Radio Tamazuj. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  9. ^ "South Sudan confirms first case of coronavirus". Reuters. 5 April 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  10. ^ "South Sudan confirms second case of coronavirus". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  11. ^ "South Sudan records third case of COVID-19". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Education ministry to launch distance learning for students". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  13. ^ "South Sudan suspends interstate travels over COVID-19". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  14. ^ "South Sudan records its sixth coronavirus case". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  15. ^ "COVID-19: South Sudan reviews curfew as cases rise to 34". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  16. ^ "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 102" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 May 2020. p. 6. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  17. ^ "South Sudan loosens restrictions even as coronavirus cases increase". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  18. ^ "South Sudan reopens airports amid rise in COVID-19 cases". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  19. ^ "South Sudan records first COVID-19 death as cases rise". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  20. ^ "Dr. Riek Machar and wife test positive for COVID-19". Eye Radio. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  21. ^ "South Sudan Officials, COVID Task Force Test Positive for Virus". VOA. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  22. ^ "South Sudan confirms 18 new COVID-19 cases". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  23. ^ "VP Igga tests positive for COVID-19". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  24. ^ "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 133" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 June 2020. p. 6. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  25. ^ "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 163" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 July 2020. p. 6. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  26. ^ Future scenarios of the healthcare burden of COVID-19 in low- or middle-income countries, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London.
  27. ^ "COVID-19 affects women businesses in Aweil". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  28. ^ "Covid-19: Eastern Equatoria says schoolgirl pregnancies increasing due to lockdown". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  29. ^ "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 194" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 August 2020. p. 5. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  30. ^ "Outbreak brief 33: COVID-19 pandemic – 1 September 2020". Africa CDC. 16 September 2020. p. 3. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  31. ^ "Save The Children commends govt's decision to reopen schools". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  32. ^ "COVID-19 situation update for the WHO Africa region. External situation report 31" (PDF). World Health Organization. 30 September 2020. p. 4. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  33. ^ "COVID-19 weekly epidemiological update". World Health Organization. 3 November 2020. p. 14. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  34. ^ "Overall COVID-19 cases status as of 29-11-2020" (PDF). Ministry of Health. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  35. ^ Diallo, Oumy (1 January 2021). "Coronavirus en Afrique : quels sont les pays impactés ?" (in French). TV5MONDE. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  36. ^ "COVID-19 weekly epidemiological update". World Health Organization. 2 February 2021. p. 15. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  37. ^ "Outbreak brief 59: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic". Africa CDC. 2 March 2021. p. 3. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  38. ^ "Overall COVID-19 cases status as of 31/03/2021" (PDF). Ministry of Health. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  39. ^ "COVID-19 vaccination kicks-off in South Sudan". World Health Organization. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  40. ^ Wudu, Waakhe Simon (19 April 2021). "South Sudan stops using doses of AstraZeneca vaccine over expiration fears". VOA. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  41. ^ "Overall COVID-19 cases status as of 30/04/2021" (PDF). Ministry of Health. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  42. ^ "Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 – 1 June 2021". World Health Organization. 1 June 2021. p. 17. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  43. ^ "COVID-19 situation report for WHO Africa Region" (PDF). NIHR Global Health Research Unit Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa at the University of Edinburgh. 1 July 2021. p. 49. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  44. ^ "Weekly bulletin on outbreaks and other emergencies" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 August 2021. p. 4. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  45. ^ "Overall COVID-19 cases status as of 31-08-2021" (PDF). Ministry of Health. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
Retrieved from ""