The Health Ministry has confirmed a second death from the coronavirus, with the number of infections rising to 1 280. This is an increase of 93 cases.
The deceased is a 74-year-old man, who had been in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and ventilation at a private hospital in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal. He had flu symptoms after he had travelled to Kruger National Park with his family.
He was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Friday.
Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said in a statement that the deceased had a skin cancer condition.
“It has been reported to us that the deceased patient had an underlying skin cancer condition (melanoma), which had already complicated. He presented with the following symptoms: respiratory distress, shortness of breath, cardiac failure, decreased saturation and his temperature was above 38 degrees.”
The family of the deceased, 14 health workers including three specialist doctors, who had all come into contact with the patient, have been placed under quarantine.
Mkhize has passed his condolences to the bereaved family.
“We express our condolences to the family and we thank the doctors and health workers who looked after the deceased patient until his time of passing.”
Gauteng is still leading with the number of COVID-19 cases in the country with 584 cases, followed by the Western Cape with 310 cases. Northern Cape has the least number of infections with six cases.
100 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have not been located.
29 March 2020
As at today, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is 1280. This is an increase of 93 from the previously reported cases #COVID19 #CoronaVirusUpdate #CoronaVirusSA pic.twitter.com/MQpDT4UPLh— Department of Health (@HealthZA) March 29, 2020
Watch @RoleneStrauss
Know the facts about #COVID19… Don’t panic #StayHomeSA #StaySafe #21DayLockdown pic.twitter.com/fwZTjRnVbh— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) March 29, 2020
More testing facilities
Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku says the provincial government is ramping up testing and will set up more testing facilities in the province, particularly in high-density areas.
Addressing the media in Johannesburg, on Sunday, on the interventions taken during the 21- day lockdown period, Masuku says they are also training community health care workers to form part of the contact tracing teams.
“We are rolling out testing sites throughout the province which the testing will be done in a focussed manner, in a systemical manner and cost-effective. The testing sites, we’ll be starting them where there’s a high density of contacts so that we are able to improve that aspect. We already have trained 4 437 community health care workers who are part of the tracing teams we are continuously training so that 9 000 or so of them should be on the ground doing to the tracing.”
The Gauteng Provincial Government Command Council gives an update on the 21-day nationwide lockdown:
