Professor Nelesh Govender from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says even though the country has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, there is no need for people to panic.
Speaking on Morning Live, on Friday morning, Govender says people should instead educate themselves about this virus.
On Thursday, the country confirmed its first case of coronavirus.
A 38-year-old man has tested positive for the (COVID-19) virus in KwaZulu-Natal.
The man was travelling with his wife and was part of a group of 10 people when they arrived in South Africa on Sunday.
He recently travelled to Italy and has been in self-isolation since.
The Department of Health says the doctor who treated him is also in self-isolation as well.
Over 90 000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide and over 3 000 people have died globally due to the virus.
In the video, NICD’s Prof Nelesh Govender shares more on the first case of coronavirus in SA:
Good hygiene
Parliament’s Health Portfolio Committee Chairperson Sibongiseni Dhlomo has urged South Africans to practice good personal hygiene to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“This is like any other flu-like illness which is a communicable disease by the spread of droplets. So if you can make sure when you sneeze, when you cough, we cough into a handkerchief or an elbow you just don’t cough openly where any other person can get what is coming from you. Do this in any other form of illness either than coronavirus.”
Climate and viruses
Wits University medical expert on climate and viruses, Matthew Chersich says warm weather in South Africa could slow down the spread of the coronavirus. Chersich says the virus is like-flu and colds which spread faster in winter.
“It’s the same as all the respiratory viral infections that spread in the winter. It’s the same as flu and other chest infections. They all spread largely in the winter. I think the key thing is that in the summer your chances of getting flu and cold are much smaller than in the winter.”
President Ramaphosa satisfied with SA’s handling of deadly coronavirus
President Cyril Ramaphosa says he is satisfied with the country’s preparedness to deal with the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Touching down from Cape Town on Thursday, the President’s first order was to assure South Africans that there is no need to panic.
In the video, President Ramaphosa says if not dealt with effectively, an outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in South Africa will have a negative impact on the country’s already fragile economy.
The President says the government is already hard at work putting mechanisms in place to control a possible outbreak as the country registers its first case of the virus.
The graphic below shows hospitals designated for managing coronavirus:
Below is a Live Tracking of the cases, death toll and other information:
