The Mpumalanga Department of Health spokesperson, Mr Dumisani Malamule confirmed the first case of the Covid-19 virus in eMalahleni.
“At this stage, we can confirm one positive case in eMalahleni which is a male pastor,” said Malamule on Tuesday, March 31.
According to Malamule the man is in self-isolation.
“He was not hospitalised as the symptoms he has shown was not severe. He is being monitored closely,” said Malamule.
In a statement, he further said that there is a total of four positive cases reported in the Nkangala district which comprises of eMalahleni, Middelburg, Delmas, Belfast, Kwaggafontein and Verena.
According to the media release by the Mpumalanga Department of Health, it was found that two doctors stationed at Mmametlhake Hospital (Hammanskraal) in Mpumalanga have also tested positive for Covid-19.
Currently, the department’s outbreak response team is compiling a list of all possible contacts that came close to the doctors at their workplace at the hospital.
Both doctors reside in Modimolle, Limpopo.
The provincial team leader has been in contact with her counterpart in Limpopo province to ensure seamless coordination.
“We are going to work with our colleagues in Limpopo in handling cases within their catchments area. Our Outbreak Response team will earnestly do all possible to put intervention measures to contain the spread of the virus. We seek calmness and cooperation of everyone as we strive to combat this disease before us,” says MEC Iwazi Manzini, spokesperson of the National Institute Of Communicable Diseases (NICD)
Mpumalanga has 14 positive cases of COVID-19 with Gert Sibande (Ermelo area) having four cases, Nkangala four cases and Ehlanzeni (Nelspruit area) leading with six cases.
The public is advised to call the coronavirus hotline on 0800 029 999 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. 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).
eMalahleni’s first confirmed case of Covid-19