The number of coronavirus cases in South Africa has now risen to 17, as an additional four cases were confirmed yesterday, March 11. The first case of local transmission has also been recorded.
The Health Ministry made the announcement today, March 12. In a media statement, Minister of Health Dr Zwelini Mkhize explained that the patients include:
– A 38-year-old male from Durban who lives in Turkey and was visiting his family in South Africa. The man had travelled to the UK and returned to SA on March 7, 2020
– A 27-year-old female from Mpumalanga who had travelled to the United States and returned to South Africa on March 7, 2020
– A 43-year-old male in Johannesburg who had travelled to New York via Dubai and returned to South Africa on March 8, 2020
– A 32-year-old male in the Free State who came into contact with a Chinese businessman is the first case of local transmission. All other cases have been as a result of people who have travelled abroad.
“At this stage, all patients are in self-quarantine and have mild to moderate symptoms,” said Mkhize. “They are also on symptomatic treatment. Our tracing teams are now making a list and have started contacting individuals that have been identified as these patients’ contacts.”
On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the worldwide outbreak of the highly-contagious coronavirus a pandemic.
– The provincial landing page for coronavirus information: https://westerncape.gov.za/coronavirus
– Public Hotline: 0800 029 999
– WHO contact page: https://www.who.int/
Picture: Pixabay
