NCID confirms first coronavirus case in Mpumalanga
A woman from Mpumalanga has been positively tested for the coronavirus. This is the first confirmed case for the province, according to a press release from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD).
An urgent media briefing was called on Thursday afternoon to provide more information. Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane led the briefing.
“A 27-year-old woman returned to OR Tambo, South Africa via Dubai on March 8 after having travelled to Orlando, Florida in the United States of America to visit friends. She arrived in Mpumalanga the day afterward,” the premier said.
She also mentioned that there were nine suspected cases in Mpumalanga, all of whom have travelled abroad. One was positively tested, six came back negative and confirmation is still awaited for two cases.
The woman with the positively identified case of Covid-19 started experiencing symptoms on March 9 and “a sample was taken on the same day to test for the coronavirus”, the premier said. The woman lives with her husband, who also travelled with her, and they do not have any children.
“They have not been exposed to any elderly people,” Premier Mtshweni-Tsipane continued. “We request the public to remain calm and take all the necessary precautions.”
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The woman spoke to Lowvelder on condition that she remains anonymous.
She consulted a doctor for flu symptoms on Monday afternoon after returning from Johannesburg. The doctor immediately tested for Covid-19 and the results were confirmed positive on Wednesday evening.
The woman and her husband have been placed under social quarantine.
“I really feel fine and I do not want anyone to panic,” she told Lowvelder. “I have mild flu symptoms at the moment. I had a cough for a day and what feels like sinusitis. I have not had a fever, or difficulty breathing at all.”
She and her husband checked in at Rob Ferreira Hospital yesterday for a check-up and to once again test her husband for the virus.
“The doctor cleared me to go home and recover there,” she said.
“I am very thankful, the National Health Institute as well as the Mpumalanga Health Department have been phoning and checking in regularly.”
The only other people that they have been in contact with are the woman’s father and his stay-in domestic worker in Johannesburg.
“They were also immediately placed under self-isolation and it was mentioned that the National Health Institute will be visiting on Friday to test for the virus,” the woman said.
The first confirmed case in South Africa was identified on March 4 and there are 17 confirmed cases as of Wednesday morning.
The public is advised to call the coronavirus hotline at 0800-029-999 if they experience any symptoms.
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