By Bonitas 02/03/2020
THE ORIGIN
- It is speculated that the novel coronavirus originated from a Seafood Wholesale Market – that also sold live wild animals – in Wuhan City, China.
- The current strain is a zoonotic virus, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans.
- The virus is also contagious between people.
THE INCUBATION PERIOD
Symptoms of COVID-2019 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Reported illnesses have ranged from people with little to no symptoms, to people being severely ill.
Symptoms may include:
- Fever
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath
These may progress to:
- Severe respiratory illness
- Multiple organ failure
People with underlying medical conditions may experience worse symptoms and even death.
THE LATEST STATS
Thus far:
- The virus has affected 35 countries/areas around the world.
- 79 565 cases have been reported with the majority in China.
- 2 619 deaths have been reported.
- There have been 25 084 complete recoveries.
- No cases have been confirmed in South Africa.
- One case has been reported in Egypt, but the patient has been quarantined.
PREPAREDNESS
- At Bonitas we are monitoring the situation and urge our members to keep on taking the necessary precautions to minimise their risk of contracting the disease.
- We have established hospital preparedness with all the big hospital groups having a detailed plan or checklist on how to deal with the risks and with suspected cases.
- A few smaller hospitals which do not have isolation or quarantine wards have implemented plans to safely transfer suspected cases to facilities which can cope with these patients.
- The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) are busy hosting training on laboratory diagnostics in 17 member states in the Africa region.
- We engaged with the General Practitioner Association to establish their preparedness and made them aware of the NICD hotline to report possible cases.
PREVENTION
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick or show symptoms of the virus.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based sanitiser (60-85% alcohol).
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Stay at home when you are sick.
- Practice cough etiquette, covering your cough or sneeze.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
PLEASE NOTE:
- Surgical masks may be used as an infection control measure or a mitigation measure when worn by individuals with respiratory symptoms.
- Facemasks are not guaranteed to protect users from airborne infection.
- No travel restrictions with China have been recommended by the World Health Organisation, but we advise our members to avoid non-essential travel to China.
GENERAL PUBLIC HOTLINEIf you need to report a suspected case of the Coronavirus, call 011 386 2000.
