International
South Africa reports first coronavirus case
South Africa annouced its first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday Morning.
The country’s Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize, disclosed that it was a 38-year-old male who travelled to Italy that had the virus.
The case was detected in the country’s eastern Kwa-Zulu Natal province.
It was also disclosed that the patient and his wife were part of a group of 10 people who arrived back in South Africa from Italy on March 1.
Read also: CORONAVIRUS: US commits $8.3bn to fight outbreak as Senegal, Algeria record new cases
According to the health ministry, “This morning,the National Institute for Communicable Diseases confirmed that a suspected case of COVID-19 has tested positive”.
However, this was the first case in southern Africa, and the latest confirmed case in sub-Saharan Africa after Nigeria and Senegal.
Italy has now emerged as the European hotspot for the deadly virus with the national death toll at 107, the deadliest outbreak outside China.
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