Phoenix man who tested positive for coronavirus showed no symptoms

Published Apr 15, 2020

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Durban - A PHOENIX man who tested positive for Covid-19 is healthy and showing no symptoms of having the disease.

The 40-year-old, who is employed at a food retail company, is now self-isolating at his home.

This was the first reported case in the community.

His wife, 34, and children, aged 15 and 11, have also been tested for the virus by the Department of Health and are awaiting their results.

During the lockdown, the man continued to go to work because the company he worked at provided an essential service.

A senior employee tested positive for the virus, which prompted the management of the company to call the Health Department to test all the staff.

His wife said her husband was tested on April 3 in a mobile clinic at his workplace and they received the results last Wednesday.

“It was an agonising wait. I had to eventually contact the lab and the doctor for the results. When we found out he was positive, everything around us started to crumble.

“It was hard to accept. Apart from a slight itch in his throat, he was not coughing or sneezing and he didn’t have a fever or anything. The doctor told us he was a silent carrier and this scared us even more.”

The wife said her husband was told to continue to take immune boosters and Panado if he had a fever.

“Since the outbreak, we have taken every precaution. We used hand sanitiser and masks when we were out. My children and I were tested on Saturday and we’re also self-isolating until we get our results.”

The wife said the official also offered to test their neighbours.

“I told my immediate neighbours about my husband’s condition as I believed they had a right to know. But while testing a few of my neighbours, the health official told them the disease was airborne. This caused panic in the community and the residents wanted us removed from our home.”

However, Tino Pillay and Haniff Hoosen from the DA were called in to assist, and restored calm by educating residents about the symptoms of the disease and how it was contracted.

The wife said since then the attitude of the community had changed.

“Since we can’t go out to the shops or pharmacies, my neighbours buy us what we need. They leave it at the door,” she said.

“From Saturday, at 6pm we stand at our doors and conduct a mass prayer for healing and protection. This is helping my family get through this ordeal.”

She appealed to the community to take the lockdown seriously.

“There are still residents who are having parties and going out like they would normally do. We need to stop this so we can stop the spread of this virus.”

The Department of Health did not respond at the time of publication.

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