The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in South Sudan reached 806 after 151 people tested positive on Monday.

Dr. Makur Koryom, Health Ministry’s Undersecretary told reporters in Juba that the new cases were confirmed positive after the public health laboratory tested 243 samples in the last 48 hours.

He noted that 43 of the new cases are contacts of the previously confirmed cases. "Of all the samples tested, males were 111,” Koryom said.

The undersecretary expressed concern over increasing coronavirus cases and called for concerted efforts to control the spread of the virus.

Koryom urged South Sudanese to follow the Ministry of Health guidelines to curb the spread of the virus. “The disease is among us and many people are getting infected on a daily basis. It is important that the members of the public heed the advice given by the Ministry of Health and the national taskforce,” he said.