“The spread of Covid-19 continues to affect other parts of the world as we have seen a greater increase in the number of transmitted cases reported outside of China than new cases emerging from China.”
THE NATIONAL Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, has denied rumours circulating on social media, particularly on WhatsApp, about a positive Covid-19 case in South Africa.
In a statement issued yesterday, the NICD assured the public that the rumours were false.
“In the event of a confirmed Covid-19 case, the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, will make an official announcement.”
It further urged all South Africans to desist from the sharing of false information and encouraged them to access credible Covid-19 information from its website, www.nicd.ac.za, and the National Department of Health.
“We continue to monitor developments globally and locally with regards to Covid-19,” the NICD stated.
“The spread of Covid-19 continues to affect other parts of the world as we have seen a greater increase in the number of transmitted cases reported outside of China than new cases emerging from China.”
According to the NICD, as from yesterday the institute had tested a total of 181 persons for SARS-CoV-2, of whom 132 have met the case definition for persons under investigation (PUI).
“All of the tests processed have come back negative, and the NICD can confirm that South Africa has not had a confirmed case of Covid-19 to date,” it stated.
“Testing of cases at the NICD follows rigorous procedures and processes to ensure the quality of test outcomes. All tests conducted at the NICD are validated through confirmatory testing. Furthermore, laboratory standards to control for specimen quality are adhered to.”
