
Image: ESA ALEXANDER/SUNDAY TIMES
Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth has been identified as the quarantine facility for the Eastern Cape should SA be affected by the deadly coronavirus sweeping the globe.
Eastern Cape department of health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said yesterday that the department had activated its outbreak response team as fears of the coronavirus continued to grip the world.
“While this is a precautionary measure, this means the Eastern Cape is ready to deal and successfully treat anyone that might have the virus,” Kupelo said.
“Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth has been identified as the quarantine facility in the province.
“Nelson Mandela Academic hospital Mthatha and Frere hospital in East London have also been given holding facility status.”
Kupelo said it was important to note there had been no reported cases of people contracting the virus in SA.
He said: “We would like to allay any fears and assure Eastern Cape citizens that our highly trained medical personnel are ready should the virus be detected anywhere in the province.
“Just like health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize announced [yesterday], our dedicated and highly skilled doctors and nurses will treat every flu symptom with extra caution as it is better to overreact than to under-diagnose.”
Kupelo said the department was calling on people experiencing flu symptoms to visit clinics so they could be examined and treated.
“We will continue to remain on high alert throughout the province,” he added.
Meanwhile, Botswana, which borders SA, announced its first suspected case of the virus yesterday.
The case was registered at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport after the arrival of an Ethiopian Airways flight from China, with the passenger involved placed under quarantine at the Block 8 Clinic in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone.
Read more of the story on DispatchLIVE
BY: ANGELA DANIELS AND IAVAN PIJOOS
SOURCE: DISPATCHLIVE