MediClinic Ermelo has confirmed that since they began testing patients for Covid-19 on 1 March, that one patient has tested positive.

“In strict accordance with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and National Department of Health protocols, Mediclinic Ermelo has implemented the necessary measures to manage any patients testing positive with the virus and to prevent any potential transmission in the hospital,” MediClinic Ermelo’s hospital manager, Mr Charles Vilane, stated in an email.

According to him 274 tests have thus far been conducted and only the one patient has tested positive.

The patient is said to be from Carolina.

“We currently have no patients testing positive for the virus in our facility.”

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Mr Vilane said, should any suspected Covid-19 patients require medical support from Mediclinic Ermelo, these patients would be accommodated in an isolation unit, where the nursing staff are trained and equipped to manage the patient according to the level of care the illness requires.

“The majority of cases of people who test positive for the virus are referred home for self-isolation, where they can recover in the comfort of their own home while being monitored telephonically by their respective primary healthcare provider.

“We continue to urge the public to take the necessary precautions by practicing good hand hygiene, social distancing as well as adhering to lockdown requirements.

“We also encourage anyone experiencing signs and symptoms of the disease, such as shortness of breath, fever, sore throat, coughing or who believe that that they may have been exposed to the virus to contact their healthcare provider,” Mr Vilane concluded.