First Corona Virus case confirmed in SA.

[Chickenstrip]

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/...-positive-case-of-covid-19-confirmed-20200305

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has confirmed that South Africa has recorded its first positive test case for the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Mkhize released a statement on Thursday confirming that the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NCID) confirmed a positive test.

While it was not clear at which port of entry the patient landed, Mkhize said that a tracer team has been deployed to KwaZulu-Natal. The man is now self-isolated.

"The patient is a 38-year-old male who travelled to Italy with his wife. They were part of a group of 10 people and they arrived back in South Africa on 1 March," Mkhize said in the statement.


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"The patient consulted a private general practitioner on 3 March with symptoms of fever, headache, malaise, a sore throat and a cough."

The practice nurse then took swabs and delivered it to the laboratory. The patient has been self-isolating since 3 March.

"The couple also has two children. The Emergency Operating Centre (EOC) has identified the contacts by interviewing the patient and doctor. The tracer team has been deployed to KwaZulu-Natal with epidemiologists and clinicians from the NICD."

Mkhize said the doctor has been self-isolated as well.

"This media briefing is to ensure that the public is immediately kept abreast. A press briefing will be held later after the Parliamentary debate this evening to shed more light on this issue."

 

[Dela Rey Steyn]

 

[Hooked]

Imagine if the Coronavirus were happening around the time of VapeCon? VapeCon would have to be cancelled - or at any rate, not allow international exhibitors.

 

[Hooked]

The Italian patient and his wife must have been on board this ship. which recently docked in Durban.

 

[Adephi]

Just to keep it in perspective.



Not saying don't be concerned. But there is absolutely no reason to panic.

 

[Drikusw]

 

[Resistance]

I think our worst enemy is our own government. I survived them for 25years bring on the viruses.

 

[Chickenstrip]

 

[Silver]

Thanks @Chickenstrip - very interesting

 

[Ruwaid]

Second case in Gauteng confirmed.

 

[Adephi]

Got a message this morning from the school that all kids have to bring 60% alcohol hand sanitizer to school. Well good luck in finding that now. Eventually found some noname hand cleansing brand with action figures on at the Crazy store. It smelled like alcohol so I imagine it will do the same.

Just a few survivalist diy tips for people looking for hand sanitizers:
- most pharmacies sell 70% and 90% ethanol. Use the 70% in a spray bottle. Works brilliantly in sanitizing hand and sterilizing surfaces. It just doesn't smell like potpourri. Use handcream as it will dry your hands. Don't use the 90% on your hands. It will burn it eventually and then you sit with a chemical burn. It can be used to sterilize surfaces like tables.
- if thats not successful head over to the men's pharmacy (tops, liquor city, oom fanie se bottelstoor....). Vodka, cane and gin works just as well. Dark liquors like whiskey, brandy and rum will also work but will make you smell. Not a problem if you live in the East Rand or Pretoria West.

 

[Hooked]

Dark liquors like whiskey, brandy and rum will also work but will make you smell. Not a problem if you live in the East Rand or Pretoria West.

Don't people in the East Rand or Pretoria West shower, @Adephi?

 

[Adephi]

Don't people in the East Rand or Pretoria West shower, @Adephi?

I believe they do sometimes. But I was referring to the booze.

 

[Hooked]

"I vape and I know things" - and don't we all use Propylene Alcohol to clean our mods? The general public doesn't know about it - they go to the shelf looking for hand sanitizer.

Any Clicks/Dischem sells Propylene Alcohol, in either 500ml or 1 lt. bottles. Just put that in a little spray bottle and voila!!

The other option is Surgical Spirits, which is meant for the skin. Once again, it's something that most people wouldn't think of buying.

Having said the above, my thoughts are that people are panic buying. There's only one way to protect yourself 100% - and that is to wear one of those what I call "astronaut" suits or NEVER leave your house and have absolutely NO contact with ANYONE at all.

Since the above isn't feasible I think we just need to increase our normal hygiene. Nowadays, when I return from shopping I wash my hands immediately, which I never used to do. It's just a small token gesture though. One could easily contract the virus through airborn molecules.

It's interesting how the virus impacts our lives though. Someone from CT comes to see me once a week. His girlfriend works on a cruise ship, which returned to SA last week. As a precaution, I've asked him not to come and see me for now. Not taking any chances.

 

[Grand Guru]

A very insightful video on the topic.

 

[Ruwaid]

3 case confirmed. Patient 0's wifehas now tested positive as well.

 

[DirtRider]

We have around 57 people murdered each day in SA, now we have 3 confirmed cases of this and everyone is in a panic

 

[Chickenstrip]

Yeah but you can't exactly get murdered by a stranger's sneeze... Actually, I suppose that's no longer true. People getting murdered are always in gang ridden area's. Those people probably don't worry about the Corona virus at all. Similarly to how none of us worry about getting murdered.

 

[ARYANTO]

2020 Olympics to be cancelled ?
https://japantoday.com/category/202...olympic-cancellation-would-reach-around-globe

 

[Room Fogger]

Went to a meeting, as we left out came my hand sanitizer and voila, everyone asks if they could also get some. Got home and washed hands thoroughly before anything else. I think this may improve overall hygiene for a lot of people, a good thing I think personally. Ever been to the gents/ ladies and see people just adjust their clothing and leave?

I must add that in our house hand washing multiple times a day is normal as I have a Coeliac son, so gluten contamination prevention is key, so wash before making food, after making, clean and wash everything, but it was an eye opener for me.

 

[Asterix]

Ever been to the gents/ ladies and see people just adjust their clothing and leave?

I'm fastidious about washing my hands.... to the point where my wife thinks I have some sort of OCD! BUT I will not use public washroom taps that do not have an auto on/off system, or at the very least, the extended lever taps in order to close with my elbow. I have baby wipes in my car and laptop/vape bag for this very reason. Not much point in washing your hands and then closing the tap that's covered in urine, germs and other unmentionables left behind by others.

 

[Room Fogger]

I'm fastidious about washing my hands.... to the point where my wife thinks I have some sort of OCD! BUT I will not use public washroom taps that do not have an auto on/off system, or at the very least, the extended lever taps in order to close with my elbow. I have baby wipes in my car and laptop/vape bag for this very reason. Not much point in washing your hands and then closing the tap that's covered in urine, germs and other unmentionables left behind by others.

Agree, I use a piece of the paper for drying hands, or if they don’t have I have my tissues in my pocket.

 

[Grand Guru]

We shouldn’t fall into a nosophobic paranoia either... germs are everywhere on us, around us and inside of us and most of them are essential for us. It is important to know that 80% of the cases will display a mild to moderate flue (nothing that would warrant serious attention). The other 20 percent will have a more severe form of flue/pneumonia which may require more care/admission to hospital and these are mainly people above 70 years of age with cardiovascular/respiratory problems and other conditions that may lower the immunity (not talking about the HIV positive people because if they are compliant on treatment, they are supposed to have a normal immune response). Children are developing mild flue and are not really at risk.
Those for whom we should worry are our elderly. So limit the visits/close contact to a strict minimum.
P.S: We need to stay calm and not rush to buy masks and deplete our limited stock in this early stage of the epidemic. Masks should be left for those who are sick and for the healthcare professionals.

 

[Chickenstrip]

By the by Cape Town has a confirmed case in Greenpoint. Client of ours. Hasn't hit the news yet. I agree with the above post. It's not much a big deal. What does concern me is my elderly family living in frail care that need constant contact and assistance. They're cared for by nurses who use taxi's and trains.

Once a nurse inevitably catches it. The old age homes will have major issues.

 

[CTRiaan]

By the by Cape Town has a confirmed case in Greenpoint. Client of ours. Hasn't hit the news yet. I agree with the above post. It's not much a big deal. What does concern me is my elderly family living in frail care that need constant contact and assistance. They're cared for by nurses who use taxi's and trains.

Once a nurse inevitably catches it. The old age homes will have major issues.

From https://www.westerncape.gov.za/gc-news/147/53961

As per protocol, the National Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize, announced two more laboratory confirmed case of COVID-19, commonly referred to as the Coronavirus, in the Western Cape - bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the province to three.

Case 2 - A 50-year-old male in the City of Cape Town, presented himself to his private doctor on 10 March after developing flu-like symptoms and a recent international travel history to Europe.

Case 3 - A 45-year old man in City of Cape Town tested positive after he also presented himself to a private facility on 11 March 2020 matching the case definition also with recent international travel history to Europe.