Eswatini, a small landlocked Southern African country, reported its first confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) the Minister of Health said in a statement on Saturday.
A 33-year-old woman, who returned from the United States at the end of February and then travelled to Lesotho before returning home to Eswatini, is currently in isolation, Health Minister Lizzie Nkosi said.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 has now spread to at least 19 countries across Africa – with recent cases confirmed in Eswatini, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Mauritania and Guinea.
Several African countries have recorded their first or index cases of the coronavirus. Kenya has banned all public events after a woman who returned from the United States tested positive, while Ghana, Sudan, and Gabon have confirmed their first cases.
Kenya Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said a 27-year-old female student had tested positive after arriving in Nairobi from the United States, via London. The patient is in isolation.
South Africa now has 24 confirmed cases, all of which had travelled internationally. More than 132 000 people have been diagnosed with the virus globally – with about 5 000 deaths recorded.
SABC News spoke to Dr Michel Yao, program manager for emergency response at the World Health Organisation in Africa:
Below is a Live Tracking of the cases, death toll and other information, updated daily:
