“I have really felt a lot better over the past two days and I can feel that I am getting better,” says Mark Roe-Scott, the first South African to have officially contracted the coronavirus
Three people – two in KwaZulu-Natal and one in Gauteng – have tested positive for the virus, which has infected more than 103 000 people and claimed more than 3 500 lives around the world.
In South Africa, government is pulling out all the stops to contain the virus, including designating specialist hospitals for quarantine and treatment. They have been placed in self-isolation while their results are awaited. Members of the group are based mostly in Johannesburg, Pretoria and KwaZulu-Natal.
He said the frenzy over the outbreak of potential infections was unwarranted, and had been spurred on by a sometimes irresponsible media, as well as fake news and social media.On Thursday, Hilton, Durban, resident Mark Roe-Scott found out he was the first South African to have officially contracted the virus.
Reed told Roe-Scott that the results needed to be verified, but said it was possible that he might have Covid-19.Roe-Scott said yesterday that, since going into self-isolation, his biggest challenge was keeping himself busy.“I also had a fever,” he said.“I have really felt a lot better over the past two days and I can feel that I am getting better,” he said.
This was also true of a Gauteng woman, who passed through OR Tambo International Airport this week, who turned out to have the virus.Just as the country was grappling with the KwaZulu-Natal situation, a second person was also confirmed by Mkhize yesterday to have contracted Covid-19.She is said to have been admitted to one of the three public hospitals earmarked to treat Covid-19 patients in Gauteng.
“From what we know, this person was found as part of contact tracing for the first patient. Two tests have been done on the group, and they both tested positive. The rest of the group has also been tested and their results are likely to be out soon,” the source added.But the source pointed to a flaw in South Africa –government cannot legally force people to self-isolate, the possible patient has to be willing to do so.
“The minister said he would let the nation know when the plane leaves and asked that you [the media] give the interministerial committee space to do the work that needs to be done,” said health department spokesperson Lwazi Manzi yesterday. In Henan, they had been placed under strict lockdown and were, according to the MEC, thoroughly quarantined and tested before they were released.
The other nurse said: “I am scared of this virus. We do not have enough protective clothing. We are not trained to deal with coronavirus; it is all new. “In any event, anyone travelling from China is not permitted to purchase a flight unless they have been screened by Chinese authorities,” she said.In the wake of growing panic over South Africa’s first confirmed case of Covid-19, some residents in the quaint, affluent town of Hilton – where Roe-Scott resides – have told City Press that they are “scared” and “terrified for my children”.
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