Majority of the deaths related to the coronavirus can be prevented if people seek early medical intervention, a medical expert says.
Dr. Richard Lako, who is the coronavirus incident manager, says the public is still in denial about the impact of the virus.
He disclosed that most of the deaths among prominent people are as a result of late reporting to the health facilities.
In 2020, First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, who had just contracted the coronavirus, urged the public against ignoring health-related issues like flu or cough.
He stressed that the coronavirus test is necessary to detect the virus at an early stage.
Machar believes ignorance over public health safety measures and denial of the existence of the virus were contributing to the rapid spread within the communities.
Speaking during the weekly briefing on Sunday, Dr. Richard Lako agreed that most of the people who ctach the virus fail to report to the hospital on time.
“We have seen more than 80 percent of those who came early to the facility have survived, and they are there in the communities and they can testify,” he told the media.
The most common symptoms of coronavirus are dry cough, tiredness and fever, according to the World Health Organization.
Dr. Lako maintains that there is a misconception among some members of the public that one can easily die of the virus when referred to a treatment center.
He stated that most coronavirus positive cases often refuse to be followed-up – others by either switching off their phones or give incorrect numbers.
“We had prominent people who were in denial until they died. They claimed it was just a flue,” Dr. Lako added.
In July, the Director-General of the World Health Organization warned that the coronavirus pandemic may get worse if governments do not enforce public health directives.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom advised that if one has a cough, fever, and difficulty breathing, they should immediately seek medical care.
South Sudan’s coronavirus cases have surged to nearly nine thousand after 89 new cases were confirmed between Sunday and Monday.
The latest figure from the Ministry of Health puts the cumulative number of cases at 8,956.