People

Minister Mkhize: KZN dad first confirmed case of coronavirus in SA

Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 5:31 PM by Aba Afful

- Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has confirmed the first case of the coronavirus in SA

- The minister revealed that the patient is a 38-year-old male who had travelled recently to Italy

- They had formed part of a group of ten people who had arrived back in SA on 1 March

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Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has announced the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in South Africa.

In a statement on the matter, Mkhize revealed that the disease had been contracted in Italy:

"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 March 1, 2020."

After feeling ill, the unidentified man had consulted a doctor with a specimen tested for the virus:

"The patient consulted a private general practitioner on March 3, with symptoms of fever, headache, malaise, a sore throat and a cough. The practice nurse took swabs and delivered it to the lab."

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Mkhize further explained that the Emergency Operating Centre is currently investigating:

"The patient has been self-isolating since March 3. The couple also has two children. The Emergency Operating Centre (EOC) has identified the contacts by interviewing the patient and doctor."

In the meantime, a team has been sent to KwaZulu-Natal in a bid to ensure any possible infections are detected:

"The tracer team has been deployed to KwaZulu-Natal with epidemiologists and clinicians from NICD. The doctor has been self-isolated as well."

Mkhize confirmed that a media briefing would be held in order to keep the public up to date:

"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."