The first coronavirus case has been detected in South Africa, said the country’s health minister.
According to Zweli Mkhize, the infected has come from Italy.
“This morning, Thursday March 5, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases confirmed that a suspected case of COVID-19 has tested positive. #COVID19," Dr. Mkhize tweeted. “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.”
The patient consulted a private general practitioner on March 3, with symptoms of fever, headache, malaise, a sore throat and a cough, he said.
The patient has been self-isolating since March 3. The couple also has two children.
— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) March 5, 2020
The Emergency Operating Centre (EOC) has identified the contacts by interviewing the patient and doctor. #COVID19
