The Department of Health has confirmed that the first South African person under 18 has tested positive for Covid-19.

On Saturday, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said the 14-year-old from the Western Cape was among 14 new cases who had tested tested positive for the virus. This brings the number of cases in the country to 38.

Earlier on Saturday, the United Herzlia Schools in Cape Town sent parents a letter, which News24 has seen, which stated thatIn view of the rising numbers, President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for an urgent Cabinet meeting to be held on Sunday. This meeting will explore ways of intensifying the country’s response to this outbreak,” Mkhize said in a satement on Saturday.

On Friday, the department said the number of cases stood at 24.

Seven new cases have now been confirmed in Gauteng:

A 76-year-old man who had travelled to the UK and the US;
A 72-year-old woman who had travelled to the UK and the US;
A 47-year-old man who had travelled to the UK and the US;
A 52-year-old man who had travelled to Germany;
A 38-year-old man who had travelled to the Netherlands and Germany;
A 62-year-old man who had travelled to the Netherlands;
A 19-year-old woman who had travelled to France and Italy.
There are six new cases in the Western Cape:

A 27-year-old man who had travelled to Brazil;
A 33-year-old woman who had travelled to France;
A 49-year-old man who had travelled to France and Italy;
A 14-year-old woman who had travelled to the US and Dubai;
A 73-year-old man who had travelled to the UK;
A 32-year-old man who had travelled to the UK.
One more case has been announced in KwaZulu-Natal

A 47-year-old man who had travelled to Switzerland

Medical workers in Wuhan, China, revealed smiles behind their masks to celebrate the closing of the last temporary hospital that was panic-built to accommodate the overflow of coronavirus patients in the city.The move came after the employee presented information to the human resources department that their partner’s boss had tested positive for virus after going on an international trip.

As a precautionary measure, the staff members at the Sandton offices in Johannesburg were immediately evacuated from the building.

“We would like to emphasise that the measures taken are purely precautionary to protect the health and wellbeing of our colleagues, their families and all EAAB stakeholders,” Mohlala said in a statement.

Jansen updated his Facebook status on Thursday, saying that before going to the hospital he had felt a bit sick. After his CEO advised him to get checked out, he went to Melomed Mitchells Plain Private Hospital, where he says he was sent back and forth without anyone seeing him.

“I went to Melomed Mitchell’s Plain and no doctor would see me. I was told to get a referral letter from my GP. Once I got back to Melomed Mitchells Plain, I was informed that my GP has to complete this form from the Department of Health,” he said in his Facebook status.

He said the hospital provided him with a hotline number which he called three times, but still got no assistance.

Western Cape Department of Health deputy director of communications Mark van der Heever told News24 that the hotline number was currently under pressure from people calling in with fears of having contracted the virus. Van der Heever added that there was a standard procedure across the board, whether a patient went to a private or public hospital.

“The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) provided a hotline for patients to call first before heading to health facilities. This is to help maintain the spread of the virus. Once you call the number, explain your symptoms and where you have travelled, or with whom you have had contact,” Van der Heever said.

With 38 positive cases of Covid-19 in South Africa, the repatriation of South African living in Wuhan, China, and the World Health Organisation declaring Covid-19 a pandemic, the past two weeks have seen South Africans gripped by the virus, which has spread like wildfire across the globe.

Here is timeline of the past two week to refresh your memory.With 38 positive cases of Covid-19 in South Africa, the repatriation of South African living in Wuhan, China, and the World Health Organisation declaring Covid-19 a pandemic, the past two weeks have seen South Africans gripped by the virus, which has spread like wildfire across the globe.

On Saturday afternoon, Mkhize announces that there are now 38 positive Covid-19 cases in the country, after 14 new cases were confirmed. Among those cases is a 14-year-old girl from the Western Cape, making her the country’s first case under 18.

The department says seven new cases were confirmed in Gauteng, six new cases in the Western Cape and one in KwaZulu-Natal.

To stay abreast of News24’s rolling coverage on Covid-19 outbreak follow this link to our dedicated coronavirus site.

US, Germany battle for virus vaccine

The United States and Germany are vying to produce an exclusive vaccine against the coronavirus which is being developed in a German laboratory, Die Welt daily reported on Saturday.

According to the paper, US President Donald Trump is trying to poach German scientists working on an experimental vaccine against a global health threat that has now killed some 5 500 people with a view to having an exclusive licence rolled out in the United States.

Such a vaccine would be “only for the United States”, a source close to the German government told Die Welt, though Berlin would reportedly is looking to make offers of its own to biotech firm CureVac, based in the German state of Thuringia.