The new centers are planned for Wau, Malakal, Rumbek and Bentiu.

The Ministry of Health has announced intentions to establish more testing centres across the country.

The new centers are planned for populated state capitals such as Wau, Malakal, Rumbek and Bentiu.

According to the Coronavirus Incident Manager, the facilities will be equipped with Polymerise Chain Reaction or PCR testing.

The PCR and antibody testing are the dominant ways that global healthcare systems are testing citizens for coronavirus.

The tests are used to directly detect the presence of an antigen, rather than the presence of the body’s immune response, or antibodies.

Dr. Richard Laku told Eye Radio that samples will be collected from the additional centers to detect whether or not someone has the virus very early on.

“We are planning to establish PCR in Wau and also looking at the possibility more PCR testing centers in Rumbek, Malakal and Bentiu and at the oil field area,” said Dr. Laku.

Medical experts say scaling up PCR testing from within a population, public health officials can get a clearer picture of the spread of a disease like a coronavirus within a population.

As of Thursday 23 July 2020, South Sudan recorded 18 new cases.

The Ministry of Health announced the new positive cases from 115 samples.  The samples were tested at the Public Health Laboratory in Juba and a UN clinic.

2,239 people have been found with the coronavirus in South Sudan since April 2020.

45 people have so far died.

Dr. Richard Laku urged the public to report any suspected cases to the nearest health facility or call the toll free number: 6666.

He insists on wearing masks and avoiding crowded places, including washing hands with soap and water and keeping social distancing.