KINSHASA, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) registered a total of 109 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, according to the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB).
According to the INRB, 11 new cases were confirmed on Tuesday, including seven locally transmitted cases and four imported cases.
Jean-Jacques Muyembe, a coordinator in charge of the fight against the virus in the DRC, warned that the number of cases will increase exponentially, perhaps to reach the peak in May, if appropriate measures are not taken.
"It all depends on how the Congolese regard this disease. If they still continue to consider it as a lie, perhaps it will be more serious," said Muyembe.
The COVID-19 has affected four provinces of the DRC since March 10 when the virus was first reported in the country, including the northeastern Ituri province, and the two Kivu provinces in the east. The capital Kinshasa remains the epicenter of the nation's outbreak, with the most cases recorded to date.
