Doctor hand holding positive Coronavirus or Covid-19 rapid test - Courtesy.

The Ministry of Health says 9 dead bodies tested positive for coronavirus last week after a posthumous examination was carried out at the military mortuary in Juba.

According to the manager of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center, the public health laboratory is confirming more coronavirus death posthumously due to negligence by the public to take their loved one for coronavirus test while feeling unwell.

Dr. Angelo Goup stated that they are taking swabs and checking every “suspicious” fatality.

He is now appealing to the public to take those feeling unwell to the hospital to ascertain their Covid19 status.

“This week we did tests at the mortuary and 9 tested positive posthumously,” Dr. Goup said during the weekly Covid-19 press briefing on Sunday.

“It’s important for everyone to know if anyone is sick in your family. Take them to the hospital, don’t stay with a sick person at home.”

As of Saturday, South Sudan had reported 84 new confirmed cases of the virus, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 8,010.

The number of fatalities due to the virus remains at 94 as there was no new death registered.

So far, 4,217 cases have recovered.

The Ministry of Health said it has conducted 110,226 tests since the virus was first confirmed in the country in April last year.

The public is advised to strictly continue adhering to social distancing and other anti-coronavirus measures as the number of cases continues to surge globally.

In South Sudan, you can report any suspected cases of the virus to the nearest health Centre or call the toll-free number: 6-6-6-6.