Cases of Covid-19 in South Sudan have risen to 90 after 16 new infections were confirmed on Thursday evening.

According to the Director-General at the Ministry of Health-Dr. Richard Lako, all 16 patients are South Sudanese who had been granted permission to travel to the states; while others are contacts of the previous cases.

Dr. Lako revealed that out of the 162 samples tested, 22 test results returned equivocal and needed a retest.

All the 16 new cases are in Juba.

“The Public Health Laboratory on Thursday 7 May 2020, released 162 tests, out of these, 16 cases were confirmed positive while 22 are to be rerun and 149 tests returned negative,” Dr. Lako told reporters after the Taskforce’s daily meeting in Juba.

Earlier this week, the High-Level taskforce had blamed noncompliance to its directives for the exponential rise in coronavirus cases in the past one week.

On Monday, the Ministry of Health discharged two recovered patients. The country has not registered any deaths.