21 March, 2020

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, as of 21 March 2020, can confirm 38 new additional cases that have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the causative pathogen for COVID-19. To date, South Africa has a total of 240 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the announcement of the first confirmed case by the Minister of Health, Dr Zwelini Mkhize, on 5 March 2020.

Of the 38 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, we wish to confirm the first imported COVID-19 case in the Eastern Cape Province that tested positive for SARS-CoV- 2 from a 28-year-old female who travelled to Germany. The Gauteng Province continues to dominate the total share of confirmed COVID-19 cases, followed by the Western Cape Province and the KwaZulu-Natal Province, respectively. The provincial breakdown of the 38 new cases is as follows:

Eastern Cape Province

  • A 28-year-old female who travelled to Germany

Gauteng Province

  • An x-year-old male who travelled to France
  • A 26-year-old male with pending travel history
  • A 34-year-old female with pending travel history
  • A 43-year-old female with pending travel history
  • A 61-year-old male with pending travel history
  • A 6-year-old female with pending travel history
  • A 29-year-old female with pending travel history
  • A 45-year-old female with pending travel history
  • A 64-year-old female with pending travel history
  • A 67-year-old male who travelled to France and Ethiopia
  • A 39-year-old male who travelled to the United Kingdom
  • A 72-year-old female who travelled to Belgium and the Netherlands
  • A 41-year-old male who travelled to France and Italy
  • A 37-year-old female with pending travel history
  • A 30-year-old female who travelled to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands

KwaZulu-Natal Province

  • A 59-year-old male with pending travel history
  • A 68-year-old male with pending travel history
  • A 26-year-old female who travelled to the United States of America and the United Kingdom

Western Cape Province

  • A 30-year-old female who travelled to Ireland
  • A 57-year-old female who travelled to Germany and Switzerland
  • A 55-year-old who travelled to France and Switzerland
  • A 74-year-old female who travelled to the United Kingdom
  • A 52-year-old male with pending travel history
  • A 44-year-old male who travelled to the United States of America
  • A 26-yer-old female who travelled to the United Kingdom
  • A 57-year-old male who travelled to Spain
  • A 36-year-old male who travelled the United Kingdom and France
  • A 40-year-old female with pending travel history
  • A 52-year-old female who travelled to the United Kingdom
  • A 48-year-old female who travelled to the United Kingdom
  • A 39-year-old male who travelled to Dublin and Ireland
  • A 36-year-old male with pending travel history
  • A 55-year-old female with pending travel history
  • A 45-year-old male who travelled to Germany and Austria
  • A 65-year-old female who travelled to the United Kingdom
  • A 34-year-old male with pending travel history