South Africa’s heath dept confirms the second known case of COVID-19 coronavirus

The South African Department of Health on Saturday confirmed its second known case of COVID-19 coronavirus in the country.

In a statement, the department noted that the second party was in “direct contact” with the first known case, confirmed earlier this week.

CONFIRMATION OF SECOND CASE OF COVID-19 IN SOUTH AFRICA:The Minister of Health wishes to advise all SA that a second case of COVID-19 has now been confirmed in South Africa.The 39 year old lady who is from Gauteng is a direct contact to the first case from KZN #COVID19

— Department of Health (@HealthZA) March 7, 2020

“The second patient who has now tested positive for COV-19 will now be immediately admitted to a public health facility in Gauteng that government has identified as one of the hospitals that are ready to receive COVID-19 positive patients,” it added in a tweet.

On Saturday, the department also confirmed that a South African working in South Korea has tested positive for the virus.

“The government calls for calm and cooperation from the public and the media during this period. We also request that the privacy of the patients, the affected individuals and families be respected,” it concluded.

Globally, known COVID-19 coronavirus cases have breached the 100 000 mark.

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Feature image: coyot via Pixabay