Coronavirus: “No need to panic” says Health Minister

A father of two from Hilton became the first confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) case in South Africa yesterday, March 6.

In a statement by the National Department of Health, the 38-year-old man with his wife was part of a group of 10 holidaymakers who had traveled to Italy on a skiing holiday.

Three days after returning to South Africa (March 1) he consulted a general practitioner after presenting with symptoms of fever, headache, malaise, sore throat and a cough.

The man and his doctor have been self-isolating since the diagnosis was confirmed.

Coronavirus hits KZN:

It has taken more than two months for the virus to reach South African from mainland China, where it originated.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) globally the number of confirmed cases tops 100,162 with 3,406 deaths recorded worldwide.

At a a press briefing on Thursday afternoon health minister Zweli Mkhize and staff from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) explained what South Africans should do and what would happen if they or family members tested positive for the virus.

The virus’s main symptoms are fever, coughing and shortness of breath.

Mkhize said the department is consulting with the World Health Organisation and the NICD on a way forward and a “preparedness plan” has been put together.

Designated facilities:

For now, 10 facilities across the country have been selected to treat COVID-19 patients.

In KwaZulu-Natal, four hospitals have been chosen: Greys, Addington, Ngwelezane and Manguzi.

Each hospital will have an isolated ward with 20 -30 beds, depending on the size of the hospital.

Currently there are approximately 300-400 beds around the country and patients can be moved between hospitals to spread capacity in future.

Mkhize clarified that hospitals would not be areas for quarantine.

“We don’t bring people for quarantine in a hospital, they go for treatment,” he said.

Mkhize said all private healthcare practitioners would do tests to exclude the common cold if somebody came in with respiratory tract infection symptoms.

“If it is more than that, they then send it to us.”

He added private practitioners were aware there was a “next level” to escalate cases to the government.

KZN ready for coronavirus: 

The infected KwaZulu-Natal man is being monitored for 14 days, (the incubation period for COVID-19).

He is also receiving treatment from a hospital.

The rest of the family are also under self-quarantine.

Dr Kerrigan McCarthy from (NICD) explained what self-isolation entails:  “The World Health Organisation recommends that a person stays outside the radius of one meter of other family members, not share a bed, if possible sleep in a separate room, and at the first sign of symptoms, seek healthcare. The person should also not go to work or school and should remain within the confines of their home.”

The people that the patient was in close contact with will also be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.

“They will be monitored by our medical staff so that if they display any symptoms they are rapidly tested.”

Mkhize said the department would consult with interest groups such as churches and sports clubs to get input on how to educate the public on how to prevent infection and monitor whether the virus is spreading in communities.

Cohen said the NICD would start testing for COVID-19 when doing routine monitoring of respiratory diseases such as flu.

Mkhize said there was no need to panic and confirmed that currently, the department had “enough capacity” to deal with the virus.

“We have one case of COVID-19 and suddenly it’s the apocalypse. We have seen that in some of the countries they have closed down the schools, but this has been in countries where a large number of cases have been reported,” he said.

Mkhize also confirmed that the cost of any treatment for infected patients would be drawn from the health budget, and that he would only request additional funding if necessary.

Tracing teams arrive in KZN: 

Tracing teams searching for people who may have come into contact with South Africa’s first officially diagnosed COVID-19 patient landed in Durban on Thursday night.

The global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) was also addressed at the press briefing and the NICD said at this stage, the ten hospitals that would be treating patients had enough.

If you experience the listed symptoms or other flu-like symptoms, and have reason to believe you may have been infected (such as recent contact with someone who has travelled to a high-risk country including Italy), South Africa’s Department of Health advises phoning the NICD helpline rather than going straight to a medical facility:

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has a toll-free number for the public that deals with COVID-19 questions: 0800 029 999.

With the first case of infection now confirmed, that line will operated 24 hours per day, Mkhize said.

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