Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize has assured South Africans that the country and its hospitals are prepared and on high alert for any indications of the Wuhan coronavirus. While there are no reported cases of the virus in South Africa, precautionary measures have been implemented.
Coronaviruses are essentially a group of virus that cause respiratory infections in humans. These vary from the common cold, to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), to Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). According to The Independent, the Wuhan coronavirus is the seventh virus in this group known to infect humans.
The fatal coronavirus is transferrable from human-to-human. It spreads similarly to other cold-causing viruses, such as coming into contact with/ touching an infected person’s hands or face, through coughing and sneezing, or by touching doorknobs after an infected person has touched it.
On Thursday 30 January the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus a global health emergency. According to the BBC, the death toll has risen to 170. A case has been confirmed in Tibet, meaning that the virus has reached every region in mainland China.
Some of the common symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, shortness of breath, muscle ache, headache and a sore throat.
Here is a list of South Africa’s designated hospitals that will act as emergency centres to treat the coronavirus, if necessary:
Western Cape:
– Tygerberg Hospital
Gauteng:
– Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital;
– Steve Biko Academic Hospital; and
– Tembisa Hospital
KwaZulu-Natal:
– Grey’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg
Limpopo:
– Polokwane Hospital
Mpumalanga:
– Rob Ferreira in Mbombela (Nelspruit)
Free State:
– Pelonomi Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein
North West:
– Klerksdorp Hospital
Northern Cape:
– Kimberley Hospital
Eastern Cape:
– Livingstone Hospital in Nelson Mandela Bay (PE)
Also read: 16 airlines cancel flights to China
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