Gauteng patient with coronavirus in critical condition

Picture: Silas Camargo Silão/Pixabay

Picture: Silas Camargo Silão/Pixabay

Published Mar 12, 2020

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Johannesburg - One of the 13 people diagnosed with the coronavirus (Covid-19) in South Africa is in a critical condition, according to a report on Wednesday.

The HeraldLIVE reported that one of the four people confirmed in Gauteng was in a critical condition. Gauteng health spokesperson Kwara Kekana confirmed it to the publication saying more information would be released later.

Earlier on Wednesday, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize confirmed six more cases.

“The minister of health wishes to inform the public that six new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed. This takes the total number of coronavirus positive patients in South Africa to 13,” the national department of health said in a press statement.

A single case of Covid-19 infection has been recorded in the Western Cape, while four news cases have been confirmed in Gauteng, and a new case added to KwaZulu-Natal’s tally.

In Gauteng province, the confirmed new cases are a 33-year-old female who travelled to Italy and returned at the beginning of March. The other patients are a couple, aged 34 and 33, who travelled to Germany. They returned to South Africa on Monday.

The fourth new case in Gauteng is of a 57-year-old man who recently travelled to Austria and Italy. He returned to South Africa on Monday.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the new case is of a 40-year-old man who recently travelled to Portugal. He returned to South Africa on Saturday.

“All the patients have been advised. Those who are symptomatic have started receiving treatment. Some of the patients are already in hospital while some, specifically those who are asymptomatic, are in self-quarantine. Contact tracing has also started for all these cases,” Mkhize said earlier.

By Wednesday, at least 3,642 tests had been done in South Africa.

The Covid-19 virus which spreads through the air via droplets when an infected person speaks, sneezes, coughs or breathes, has a lifespan of a couple of hours to a day on surfaces.

The deadly novel coronavirus has spread throughout the world, since the first cases of the infection were detected in central China in December. More than 4,200 people have died across the world and more than 115 000 have reportedly been infected during the current epidemic.

In mainland China, more than 80 700 cases of the virus and over 3 100 deaths have been recorded -- the vast majority in Hubei province, ground zero for the outbreak.

African News Agency/ANA

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