COVID-19 pandemic in South Sudan
| COVID-19 pandemic in South Sudan | |
|---|---|
 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 | |
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | South Sudan |
| Arrival date | 5 April 2020 (4 years, 6 months and 4 weeks) |
| Confirmed cases | 18,844[1] (updated 2 November 2024) |
Deaths | 147[1] (updated 2 November 2024) |
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
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 to June 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]
- 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 Makuei Lueth 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]
- 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 to September 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]
- 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]
- 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 to December 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]
- 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]
- 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 to March 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]
- 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]
- 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 to June 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]
- 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]
- 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 to September 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]
- 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]
- There were 564 new cases in September, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 12010. The death toll rose to 130. The number of recovered patients increased to 11617, leaving 263 active cases at the end of the month.[46]
October to December 2021
- There were 400 new cases in October, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 12410. The death toll rose to 133. The number of recovered patients increased to 12047, leaving 230 active cases at the end of the month.[47]
- There were 348 new cases in November, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 12758. The death toll remained unchanged. The number of recovered patients increased to 12463, leaving 162 active cases at the end of the month.[48]
- There were 2484 new cases in December, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 15242. The death toll rose to 135. The number of recovered patients increased to 12934, leaving 2173 active cases at the end of the month.[49] Modeling carried out by the WHO’s Regional Office for Africa suggests that due to under-reporting, the true cumulative number of infections by the end of 2021 was around 4.9 million while the true number of COVID-19 deaths was around 1750.[50]
January to March 2022
- There were 1552 new cases in January, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 16794. The death toll rose to 137. The number of recovered patients increased to 13077, leaving 3580 active cases at the end of the month.[51]
- There were 184 new cases in February, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 16978. The death toll remained unchanged. The number of recovered patients increased to 13271, leaving 3570 active cases at the end of the month.[52]
- There were 284 new cases in March, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 17262. The death toll rose to 138. The number of recovered patients increased to 13514, leaving 3610 active cases at the end of the month.[53]
April to June 2022
- There were 221 new cases in April, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 17483. The death toll remained unchanged. The number of recovered patients remained at 13514, leaving 3831 active cases at the end of the month.[54]
- There were 114 new cases in May, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 17597. The death toll remained unchanged. The number of recovered patients remained at 13514, leaving 3945 active cases at the end of the month.[55]
- There were 125 new cases in June, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 17722. The death toll remained unchanged.[56]
July to September 2022
- There were 61 new cases in July, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 17783. The death toll remained unchanged.[57]
- There were 236 new cases in August, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 18019. The death toll remained unchanged.[58]
- There were 205 new cases in September, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 18224. The death toll remained unchanged. The number of recovered patients increased to 17982, leaving 104 active cases at the end of the month.[59]
October to December 2022
- There were 89 new cases in October, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 18313. The death toll remained unchanged. The number of recovered patients increased to 18115, leaving 160 active cases at the end of the month.[60]
Data
Cumulative number of confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths
 | This section needs to be updated. (April 2021) |
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Confirmed new cases per day
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Confirmed deaths per day
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Number of tests per day
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Number of confirmed cases by age
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Number of cases by sex
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
See also
References
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