Experts say solving the mystery of how the virus first jumped from animals to humans is crucial to preventing another pandemic. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has called on South Africans not to panic as the country confirmed its first case of the Covid-19 coronavirus.
“I was informed this [Thursday] morning and the president was briefed shortly after,” Mkhize told a sitting of the National Assembly in Parliament during a debate of national importance on the country’s readiness to respond to the virus.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed South Africa’s first case, which was contracted by a 38-year-old Durban man.
The man had travelled to Italy with a group of 10 people and returned to South Africa last Sunday.
He consulted his private doctor earlier this week with symptoms of fever, headache, malaise, a sore throat and a cough.
He has been self-isolating since Tuesday.
Mkhize told MPs an emergency team has been deployed to KwaZulu-Natal with epidemiologists and clinicians from the NICD. “Our whole team of the emergency operation centre has gone to identify all the [patient’s] contacts and interview the patient and the doctor. We’ve descended on these cases.”
Mkhize said the race is now on to contact all people who may have been in contact with the patient and test them for the virus.
“We are tracing others who have come back, so that means we are widening the net to reach out to all those who may have been exposed and who are at risk.”
Don’t panic
Mkhize has called for people to remain calm, adding that South Africa’s health system has been preparing for reports of more possible cases.
“[About] 120 tests have already been done and all of them have been negative to this point. We must not allow panic to set in,” he said.
Mkhize said, depending on the number of possible future cases, the government will be in contact with religious and sporting bodies to warn against mass events to prevent the spread of the virus.
Italy, the world’s third-worst hit country, has already banned public attendance at football games for the rest of the Serie-A season.