Coronavirus: South Africa confirms first case of COVID-19
A South African man has tested positive for coronavirus in the country's first confirmed case of COVID-19.
In a statement this afternoon - the National Institute for Communicable Diseases says the 38-year-old man had recently travelled to Italy - which has one of the highest numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases outside of China. The virus has claimed 107 lives in Italy. The country has shut schools and unities in an effort to calm the spread of the virus.
NICD says the man who had travelled with his wife and eight other people, arrived back in South Africa this past Sunday.
He's said to have displayed symptoms including fever, headache, malaise, a sore throat and a cough.
He consulted a private doctor in KwaZulu-Natal where swabs were taken and sent to a lab.
READ: Coronavirus: Details of how 147 S.Africans in quarantined Wuhan will be repatriated
The Health Ministry says he's been self-isolating since Tuesday. It says the doctor has also self-isolated.
Officials say a tracer team with epidemiologists and clinicians from NICD has been deployed to KZN.
FIRST CASE OF COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS REPORTED IN SA This morning, Thursday March 5, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases confirmed that a suspected case of COVID-19 has tested positive.The patient is a 38-year-old male who travelled to Italy with his wife #CoronaVirus
— Department of Health (@HealthZA) March 5, 2020
FIRST CASE OF CORONAVIRUS
— Department of Health (@HealthZA) March 5, 2020
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 #CoronaVirusUpdate
FIRST CASE OF CORONAVIRUS
— Department of Health (@HealthZA) March 5, 2020
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 & delivered it to the lab.The patient has been self-isolating since March 3 #Coronvirus
