South Sudan’s first vice president, wife test positive for coronavirus

Dr. Riek Machar Teny, First Vice President and the Chairman of the SPLM/A-IO during an IGAD summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Photo Credit: Nyamilepedia.)

May 18, 2020 (SSNN) – South Sudan’s First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny and his wife Angelina Teny have both tested positive for COVID-19, his press secretary James Gatdet Dak said in a statement this evening.

According to Gatdet, samples of Machar and his wife who is also the country’s minister of defense were taken last week and came back positive today.  Gatdet said a number of Machar’s staff also tested positive for the virus.

“The First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan, H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, and Madam Angelina Teny, plus a number of his office staff and bodyguards have tested positive with Covid-19 disease,” Gatdet said in a statement seen by South Sudan News Now (SSNN).

It is not clear if Gatdet himself is among the office staff of the First Vice President who tested positive for the virus.

The press secretary said samples of the office staff were also taken last week and said that a number of the high-level taskforce members had tested positive for the virus.

“This came as a result of the testing done by members of the High Level Task force on Wednesday, 13 May 2020. The result was declared today, 18 May, 2020. A number of other previous members of the Taskforce also tested positive,” Gatdet said in the statement.

The Machar aide said the First Vice President had conducted a test last month which he said had came back negative.

He said the latest test was done after a member of the taskforce, which he didn’t name, tested positive for the virus.

“Earlier, Dr. Machar took a test on 27 April, 2020, during which the result came out negative. However, another testing was done on all the members of the Taskforce when one of their members resulted positive,” he said.

Gatdet further said Machar who is to quarantine for 14 days was fine and was not showing any symptom of the virus. He will stay at his resident with his wife and the rest who have also tested positive in his circle.

“He has issued a public statement declaring that he is found positive, and from today will self-quarantine in his residence for the next 14 days, with the rest in the residence found positive,” he said.

“He is healthy with no symptoms and also confirmed by the doctor. He encouraged the public to do testing and know their personal status,” he further added.

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