After the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed the first coronavirus case in South Africa, the public have been cautioned on how to keep themselves safe from the virus.
Chinese authorities first announced the emergence of a novel coronavirus that was the causative agent for an outbreak of respiratory disease. It is believed the outbreak originated in a food market in Wuhan City, China. This virus has now come to be known as COVID-19.
The South African government has set up a 24-hour public hotline number which members of the public are urged to make use of, if they suspect they may have contracted the virus.
Protect yourself
The graphic below gives simple steps to take in order to reduce the risk of infection.
The map below shows hospitals designated for managing coronavirus:
The symptoms are largely respiratory which can range from mild upper respiratory tract manifestations to respiratory failure, multi-organ failure and death. The mortality rate is around 3% and evidence shows that the vast majority of fatalities are patients who are immunocompromised either due to extremes of age or pre-existing conditions.
Whilst there are ongoing studies, there is no proven cure and there is no vaccine.
Additional info: National Health Department
