Government responds as coronavirus hits SA shores

March 1 was the answer to the fateful question of when the coronavirus would hit South Africa.

On Thursday the National Department of Health confirmed that a 38-year-old man in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) had tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from Italy, a country with the fourth-highest cases of the virus and the epicentre of Europe’s outbreak.

From Italy to KZN

The KZN man had travelled through OR Tambo International Airport and connected to KZN, and was not detected to be carrying the virus during screening at the airport on March 1 because the symptoms had not yet developed. Two days later he went to see a private doctor after experiencing fever, headache, malaise, a sore throat and cough symptoms.

On Thursday morning the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed that the man had tested positive for Covid-19. 

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told media at a briefing in Cape Town that the man had been self-isolating since March 3 pending the outcome of the tests and is now being quarantined. He said work is being done to track down those who had been in close contact with the man so they can be isolated and tested for possible infection. 

Mkhize explained that currently, the World Health Organisation’s guidelines stipulate that when you have a person who is infected with the virus, or is suspected of having the virus, the people who were sitting around the individual on a flight and had been within a range that makes them susceptible to infection will be tested. 

“Our team is busy mapping the seating arrangement in the aircraft and then they will do the contact tracing,” said Mkhize. “They are fairly well trained on this and they will do it in terms of international standards.”  

Coronaviruses are spread by being in close proximity with an infected person who passes it through droplets released when coughing or sneezing that can be inhaled by the next person as well as touching one’s face after droplets land on your hands. 

There are no restrictions on travel or trade that have been placed on any countries affected by the coronavirus nor will the government be motivating for such, said Mkhize.

Likelihood of death is small

According to Worldometers, a global statistics site tracking the virus, it has so far affected 87 countries and territories with over 97 000 cases of infection. China, where the outbreak started, has the highest number of cases at over 80 000 infections followed by South Korea with more than 6 000 infections and Italy with over 3 800 cases. 

Of the close to 57 500 closed cases where there has been recovery or death, only 6% or 3 353 people died and 94% or 54 122 people have recovered. 

“What we are doing is we are going to increase vigilance on specific areas and [we are] including a number of countries where we think the level of transmission is higher so people can self-disclose their whereabouts and their contacts with people who could have been infected,” said Mkhize.

He said they will also vet passengers on specific planes that have been identified as high risk in order to detect people who show signs and symptoms that could require further attention after going through a standardised assessment according to international standards. 

Increasing awareness

Mkhize mentioned that the government will now increase the awareness drive around the virus specifically targeting sporting groups and churches ahead of the easter period as well as the hospitality industry due to conferences.

The virus has already threatened the Tokyo Olympic Games while the Six Nations Rugby event in the UK has been cancelled. 

Cheryl Cohen, head of respiratory diseases and meningitis at the NICD, said there is no risk at the moment of a broader spread of the virus.

She explained that the people being quarantined are the close contacts of the KZN individual. They are being asked to self-quarantine in their homes for 14 days while being monitored by medical staff. 

“In the instance of a traveller, those most at risk are the close contacts so at this time the need for a larger quarantine will not be necessary,” said Cohen.