Novel Coronavirus
What you need to know
The first reports of this virus outbreak were reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The deadly virus has to-date claimed over 200 lives and infected over 9700 people, but the numbers are increasing rapidly.
What is Coronavirus?
This virus is associated with upper respiratory infection symptoms such as:
- Fever
- Stuffy nose
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Sore Throat
According to the World Health Organization, this virus has an incubation period of between 2 – 14 days, which means that symptoms could only appear after 2 weeks.
How did this virus come about?
The coronavirus is part of a family of viruses which commonly occur in animals such as bats, cats, cattle and camels. The virus is very rarely transmitted to human beings. It is believed that many of the infected had links to a large animal and seafood market in Wuhan, China. Since then, person-to-person infection has been established.
What are we doing about it?
What is the South African Government doing to protect the country from the deadly virus?
South Africa is on high alert to ensure that the virus does not reach our shores. Here is the latest update from the South African Health Ministry:
What is the WHO saying?
The World Health Organization has issued the following notices to bust myths surrounding the virus as well as outbreak prevention measures:
Protecting yourself and others
The World Health Organization advises the following:
Track the outbreak
Track the outbreak and details surrounding infection numbers, deaths and geographic locations of confirmed cases by following the link below:
