Durban - The Department of Health in KwaZulu-Natal has confirmed that they are aware of two suspected coronavirus cases in KwaZulu-Natal.
On Thursday, department spokesperson, Noluthando Nkosi, said that although there was no laboratory confirmation of the virus, they were monitoring the situation.
"One case is being handled by the department at one of its facilities, and the other one is currently being managed by a private facility in Durban. The department is monitoring the treatment and management of these patients quite closely," he said.
Nkosi said the public would be duly notified of any new developments.
"Otherwise, the department would like to appeal to the community of KwaZulu-Natal to remain calm and avoid being misled by false statements which are peddled on social media platforms," she said.
According to latest reports, more than 500 people have died from the virus.
On Tuesday, Hong Kong reported its first death from the virus. The virus is believed to have been first detected in Wuhan, in China late last year.
The national Department of Health has said they will closely monitor the rapidly evolving developments surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.
"We continue to intensify screening at all ports of entry with a particular focus on our major airports of entry. Evidence continues to support this approach as the vast majority of cases are introduced into territories outside of China by air travellers. We have deployed additional staff and asked for the assistance of medical staff from the National Defense Force to beef up screening where additional capacity was needed," the department said.
The virus is predominantly spread by infected droplets in the air. The virus has also been cultured from stool suggesting the possibility of faeco-oral spread.
"We, therefore, continue to reinforce our public messages of preventative behaviour: avoid contact with someone that exhibits flu-like symptoms; regular hand washing; do not sneeze or cough into your hand- rather use another barrier; hygienic food preparation and not consuming undercooked or raw meat," the department said.