While there are still no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in South Africa (at the time of going to press late on Friday), the Department of Health has official activated the Emergency Operating Centre.
“The emergency centre is now currently operational. We are busy building up the staff numbers but activities have started,” said Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize, as he detailed the country’s response to the outbreak on Friday.
This follows the announcement that World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergency committee has declared the coronavirus a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ and that it was taking further measures to contain the outbreak.
“We don’t know what this virus would do if it were to spread in a country with a weaker health system. We must act now to help prepare countries for that possibility,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus.
To date, there are 7 711 confirmed and 12 167 suspected cases throughout China. Of the confirmed cases, 1 370 are severe and 170 people have died while 124 people have recovered and been discharged from hospital.
WHO further confirmed 83 cases in 18 countries. Of these, only seven had no history of travel in China, with the global organisation calling for continuous surveillance of the outbreak.
“All countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread of 2019-nCoV infection, and to share full data with WHO. Technical advice is available on the WHO website,” said a WHO spokesperson.
The Emergency Committee did not, however, recommend any travel or trade restriction based on the current information available, highlighting however that countries should inform WHO about any travel measures taken, as required by the International Health Regulations.
“We have remained vigilant on developments regarding the movements and behaviour of the viral infection across the world and continue to engage the international academic fraternity to better understand how this virus behaves and its health effects,” said Mkhize.
He explained that this now meant the Department of Health had dedicated staff working exclusively on the coronavirus, monitoring and responding to all reports.
Mkhize added that, as OR Tambo International Airport is the busiest airport in Africa, special measures have been introduced where travellers on direct flights from China and have travelled to Wuhan in the past 14 days are required to complete a questionnaire for possible contact tracing. This is in addition to standard temperature screening at all ports of entry.
