• Addis Ababa remains the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the country

The first case of coronavirus in the Gambella region has been confirmed, the virus making inroads in the region which has remained unscathed so far. The Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) on Saturday has disclosed that a 28-year-old male from Lare woreda of the Gambella region has been diagnosed with a Covid-19. The resident is believed to have contracted the virus during a recent trip to South Sudan and he has been in isolation in the Gambella University since his return. The overall Covid-19 case in Ethiopia rose to 1934, with 20 deaths. There are 27 positive patients in intensive care units. Addis Ababa remains the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, with 1444 confirmed cases as of Saturday. A total of 137,000 COVID-19 tests have been conducted till date, FMoH said.

Gambella’s location and connectivity to neighboring South Sudan mean the consequences of an uncontrolled outbreak could be severe. Omod Ojulu Obub, President of Gambela Regional State told Fana that even though the main road connecting the region with South Sudan was closed after Ethiopia declared a state of emergency in early April, a surge of people pouring unmonitored over the large border is a cause for concern. Ethiopia and South Sudan share an 874 km border along the Gambella region and thousands of South Sudanese refugees are being sheltered in refugee camps around Gambella. South Sudan has reported 1,317 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 14 deaths, as of Saturday, according to a report by the Africa CDC.