Two South Africans test positive for coronavirus in Japan – health ministry

Two South Africans who were working aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested positive for coronavirus, the country’s health ministry confirmed.

In a statement to News24, the ministry explained that 12 of the ship’s crew were South Africans. Some 3700 passengers aboard the Diamond Princess were quarantined earlier this month.

The two passengers, while testing positive, are currently showing no symptoms. They’re receiving treatment in Japan. The other 10 will be placed in quarantine for a further two weeks.

The news comes just hours after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that nearly 200 South African citizens in Wuhan will be repatriated.

President @CyrilRamaphosa has directed the repatriation of South African citizens from #Wuhan city in Hubei province, China.

— PresidencyZA (@PresidencyZA) February 27, 2020

Earlier on Friday, Nigeria announced that its first case was reported.

The Federal Ministry of Health has confirmed a coronavirus(Covid-19) case in Lagos State Nigeria. The case which was confirmed on 27/02/2020 is the first case to be reported in Nigeria since the beginning of the outbreak in China in January 2020 @WHO @BBCWorld #CoronaVirusUpdates pic.twitter.com/uF79NYzvAz

— Federal Ministry of Health, NIGERIA (@Fmohnigeria) February 27, 2020

Nigeria’s case brings the total of confirmed cases in Africa to three (including one in Algeria, one in Egypt), but that pales in comparison to global numbers.

At the time of writing and according to Johns Hopkins’ coronavirus dashboard, 83 389 cases have been confirmed globally of which 78 824 are in mainland China.

South Korea currently has more than 2000 confirmed cases.

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Feature image: WHO recommends frequently washing your hands as a preventative measure, Burst via Pexels