Nosipho Gumede

South Africa’s first Coronavirus victim is ready to go home. The man was the first to test positive for the Coronavirus after returning from a trip to Italy with a group of friends.

According to National Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, the man still has to be given official medical clearance before he can head home.

“The doctor treating him confirmed that the patient is responding well and is now asymptomatic (no longer shows symptoms of the virus). At the right time, as determined by the doctors treating him, the patient will be retested to check his recovery progress,” Mkhize said.

He also added that the man however still needs to undergo clinical observations and guidelines that are recommended to be followed in instances of asymptomatic patients.

The Health Ministry confirmed that the man’s wife was the third person to test positive for the virus. The second person, a Gauteng resident, tested positive on Saturday. The three were all part of the group of 10 people who travelled to Italy.

Havoc erupted after word got out of the Coronavirus in South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, early last week. What seemed to be a trip to Italy for a group of friends turned out to be a gateway for a deadly disease.

The department of health has been teaching people on how to take precautions against the virus and how to protect themselves.

According to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, they are awaiting the results of six more people who travelled to Italy within the next 48 hours. The tenth person apparently did not land in SA.