South Africans should stay calm in the wake of the confirmation of the country’s first coronavirus patient, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday.
A 38-year-old man from KwaZulu Natal Province tested positive for coronavirus this week and is currently in a self-isolation while receiving treatment for the deadly disease.
Ramaphosa said his country was well-prepared to deal with the virus.
Speaking of the state of the country’s preparedness, Ramaphosa said he was “impressed with the level of preparedness in terms of being able to identify what it is – and immediately having the person isolated.”
“We are gearing up more as a country. And the report I have received from the minister of health has demonstrated to me that we can be even more alert and go to higher levels of being alert,” the president said.
He added: “South Africans should not panic. But we should be alert so that if people show signs of some of the symptoms, they should be able to get medical assistance.”
According to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, the unnamed KwaZulu Natal man recently travelled to Italy where he is suspected to have contracted the disease. Italy has the most deaths of people with the virus in Europe.
Mkhize said a tracer team has been dispatched to KwaZulu-Natal Province, the scene of the patient with the virus.
The team of epidemiologists and clinicians from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases is identifying people that the unnamed patient might have interacted with since his return from Italy this week.
NM/jn/APA