Another South African has tested positive for coronavirus inside the country while another is receiving treatment in South Korea after catching the disease in the Asian country, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Saturday.
According to the minister, the woman from Gauteng Province was a direct contact to the first patient from KwaZulu-Natal who tested positive for coronavirus – also known as COVID-19 – early this week.
The woman was part of 10 South Africans that had travelled to Italy and returned to the country last weekend.
“The second patient who has now tested positive for COV-19 will now be immediately admitted to a public health facility in Gauteng that government has identified as one of the hospitals that are ready to receive COVID-19 positive patients,” the minister said in a statement.
The minister called for calm and cooperation among South Africans as the government tries “everything in our power to mitigate against the uncontrollable spread of COVID-19 in our country.”
Mkhize however announced that while there were so far only two citizens infected by coronavirus inside the country, a third South African had also been diagnosed with the disease in South Korea.
“We also wish to notify the public that our embassy has advised us that a 39-year-old male South African who works in Daegu, South Korea, has also tested positive for COVID-19,” Mkhize said.
He said the unnamed South African was due to return to the country “and has since remained in South Korea.”
“We are now following up with the South Korean authorities firstly to obtain formal confirmation of this case and also the details of where our citizen is being treated.”
NM/jn/APA