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Coronavirus: SA’s first positive case of Covid-19 confirmed

Algerian paramedics wearing protective outfits are pictured in front of El-Kettar hospital's special unit to treat cases of novel coronavirus in the capital Algiers on February 26, 2020. Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has confirmed that South Africa has recorded its first positive test case for the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Mkhize released a statement on Thursday confirming that the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NCID) confirmed a positive test.

While it was not clear at which port of entry the patient landed, Mkhize said that a tracer team has been deployed to KwaZulu-Natal. The man is now self-isolated.

“The patient is a 38-year-old male who travelled to Italy with his wife. They were part of a group of 10 people and they arrived back in South Africa on 1 March,” Mkhize said in the statement.”The patient consulted a private general practitioner on 3 March with symptoms of fever, headache, malaise, a sore throat and a cough.”

The practice nurse then took swabs and delivered it to the laboratory. The patient has been self-isolating since 3 March.

“The couple also has two children. The Emergency Operating Centre (EOC) has identified the contacts by interviewing the patient and doctor. The tracer team has been deployed to KwaZulu-Natal with epidemiologists and clinicians from the NICD.”

Mkhize said the doctor has been self-isolated as well.

“This media briefing is to ensure that the public is immediately kept abreast. A press briefing will be held later after the Parliamentary debate this evening to shed more light on this issue.”

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DEVELOPING | Risk of acquiring Covid-19 remains low – NICD

The first confirmed case of coronavirus in the country does not mean that Covid-19 is currently spreading in South African communities, noted the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.

The Institute of Race Relations has written to the chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Amending Section 25 of the Constitution to suspend and postpone all the committee’s planned public hearings.

“It is vitally important that these public hearings should immediately be halted and postponed until such time as South Africa’s health services are confident of their capacity to limit the transmission of this highly contagious virus and so prevent a Covid-19 pandemic in the country,” reads part of the letter.

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Coronavirus: SA’s first Covid-19 patient is ‘at home, self-isolating’ – NICD

“We confirm that a suspected case of #COVID19 has tested positive,” an NICD tweet read after Health Minister Zweli Mkhize’s announcement that a man who returned from Italty had tested positive.

“This is not as a failure but as a success of our health systems to be able to detect and rapidly identify cases.

“The case has been self-isolated at home since the onset of symptoms and is receiving treatment.”

patient is a 38-year-old man who travelled to Italy with his wife.

They were part of a group of 10 people and arrived back in South Africa on Sunday March 1.

“The patient consulted a private general practitioner on [Tuesday] March 3, with symptoms of fever, headache, malaise, a sore throat and a cough.”

A practice nurse took swabs and delivered it to the laboratory.

The patient “self-isolated” since March 3. The couple also has two children.

The Emergency Operating Centre (EOC) has identified the contacts by interviewing the patient and doctor. The tracer team has been deployed to KwaZulu-Natal with epidemiologists and clinicians from NICD.

Mkhize said the doctor has been self-isolated as well.

On February 27, President Cyril Ramaphosa directed the repatriation of South African citizens from Wuhan city in Hubei province, China.

An estimated 199 South Africans citizens were in Wuhan as per the latest consolidated list from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. Of those, 132 wanted to go home.

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SA’s first confirmed coronavirus patient quarantined in Hilton after Italian holiday

A Hilton father of two has tested positivA Hilton father of two has tested positive for the coronavirus and under quarantine at his home. Image: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo A Hilton man, believed to be the country's first confirmed coronavirus case, is being quarantined at his home outside Pietermaritzburg. National health minister Zweli Mkhize confirmed on Thursday that the 38-year father of two was among a group of 10 people, including his wife, who had travelled to Italy. The group returned to SA on Sunday March 1 via OR Tambo International Airport and later travelled to Durban. The man visited his GP after complaining of fever, a headache, sore throat and a cough. A swab taken tested positive for the virus. Mkhize said the man had been “self-isolating” since then. “The couple also has two children. The Emergency Operating Centre (EOC) has identified the contacts by interviewing the patient and doctor. “The tracer team has been deployed to KwaZulu-Natal with epidemiologists and clinicians from NICD. The doctor has been self-isolated as well,” he said. It is understood that the mother informed parents, whose schoolchildren are in the same class as her children, that her husband had tested positive and that they were quarantined in their house. In the message, she shared that neither she nor the children displayed any symptoms and that they would be tested. She said that her husband was in constant contact with health experts from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) which is managing the virus.e for the coronavirus and under quarantine at his home.The doctor, who runs a private practice in Hilton, has also been quarantined.

Meanwhile an upmarket residential estate issued a statement on Thursday notifying residents that one of their residents had “come into contact with the person who had tested positive for the coronavirus”.

Mount Edgecombe Country Club Estate residents were told that the resident was in contact with the NICD. They said once tested and the results were known, they would report back.

Meanwhile, a private school which is in close proximity to both the school attended by the children of the patient who tested positive, has suspended outings to public areas, until further notice.

The school, which is known to TimesLIVE, said they took the decision after it had confirmed that the first positive case of the virus was in their vicinity.

“[The school] will take all necessary precautions including no further outings to public/crowded places, the use of alcohol-based hand sanitiser, and the nursing sisters are up to date with all the signs and symptoms and will respond appropriately,” the school said in a statement.

The school said that while it remained open until further notice, it had also cancelled external sporting fixtures.