Ladysmith’s first Covid-19 patient tests negative after being admitted into hospital
Raja was discharged from the isolation unit after having two SARS-CoV 2 PCR tests that came back negative
Ladysmith’s first confirmed Covid-19 patient, 39-year-old Abdul ‘Raja’ Majeed, initially tested positive for the coronavirus when he was tested on March 18 after returning from a trip to Pakistan.
Immediately after testing positive, Raja was escorted from Ladysmith police station to Grey’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg by South African Police Service (SAPS) officers and EMRS paramedics.
He was admitted into Grey’s, where it was reported that Raja did not show any symptoms of Covid-19 right up until he was discharged from hospital on Monday, March 30.
While at Grey’s Hospital, two SARS-CoV 2 tests were conducted, one on March 25 and the other on March 27. Both tests came back negative.
Read initial story: First confirmed case of Covid-19 in Ladysmith
Raja was discharged from the isolation unit after the two SARS-CoV 2 PCR tests ‘cleared’ him of the virus. He has since returned home.
In keeping with Covid-19 reporting protocol, the Ladysmith Gazette has never in previous reports named Abdul ‘Raja’ Majeed as Ladysmith’s first confirmed Covid-19 case, this despite him being named on social media.
He has formally agreed to be named in this article.
Brigadier Vish Naidoo of the National Joint Operational & Intelligence Structure of the SAPS said that people who are expected to be in self-isolation or quarantine must ensure that they do so; otherwise they could be in contravention of the regulations or even possibly face charges of attempted murder.
The family’s attorney, Anwar Jessop, released the following statement on behalf of Raja, which reads as follows:
“The recent press coverage caused quite a stir within the community. My clients test results from Greys Hospital confirm that he is not afflicted with the COVID-19 Virus. Greys hospital conducted two tests to confirm this. The test results are in the possession of the family Attorney and was shown to the Gazette. This matter is of a sensitive nature and we will be investigating the circumstances leading up to his arrest as well as investigating the negative comments that made its rounds via social media without the facts being available to those that have made such comments. This entire episode has been a traumatic experience for him and his family. He has not been formally charged and the case was not enrolled after consultation with the State and his Attorney. The matter is still under investigation and we will consider our options in this respect. The family wishes to assure the community that he is in good health and is not a threat to his customers, family, friends and the community at large. Anyone is at liberty to have themselves tested should they choose to do so. The family understands the concerns that arose out of this unpleasant situation but wishes to appeal to members of the public to ensure that the true facts are available to them before causing panic especially via social media.” (sic)
- The public is advised to call the coronavirus hotline on 0800029999 with any suspected cases of corona, or to report or obtain information relevant to the pandemic.
- Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news. Dear reader, as your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
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