MANZINI ‘EPICENTRE’ AS 2 MORE CASES CONFIRMED

MBABANE – It seems Manzini is currently the epicentre of the novel coronavirus. This follows the confirmation of two more cases in the country by the Ministry of Health. The two recent cases are those of people residing in the hub.

This subsequently brings the total number of COVID-19 cases to 24 in the country, and 12 of these are from Manzini.
It is worth noting that in South Africa, the epicentre for the coronavirus is now KwaZulu-Natal. According to News 24, it was revealed that Ethekwini had become the centre for the outbreak as the cases had increased dramatically there. It was mentioned that 77 per cent of new cases reported were from the province. It had also registered the highest death rate of 4.4 per cent since the start of the pandemic, and has the highest number of cases. For the longest time, the Gauteng Province had the highest cases.

Confirmed

According to the Eswatini Government’s COVID-19 update, dated April 20, 2020, the details on the newly-confirmed cases include the 23rd case, who is a 60-year-old female residing in the Manzini Region.
The statement elaborated that the female patient presented moderate to severe illness and had been undergoing treatment in one of the private hospitals in the country. It was stated that the female patient had no history of travel or contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

The statement revealed that the 24th case was a 33-year-old male, also residing in the Manzini Region, who presented with mild symptoms of the disease, which are fever and body pains. According to the update, he also had no history of travel or contact with a confirmed case.
It was further stated that eight cases had been treated and confirmed negative, while 13 were undergoing treatment. The statement reiterated that one died and two were undergoing admission processes.

The notice emphasised the importance of cooperating with health advice, which states that all patients who have been confirmed positive have a duty to comply with the expectation to be registered for care with the COVID-19 Case Management Team of the Ministry of Health.
“The public is requested to cooperate with Rapid Response Teams as they go about their duties finding contacts of positive cases,” reads in part the statement.

Announcement

It was further highlighted that all suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 should wear a mask as advised by health practitioners and isolate themselves from others. The announcement added that a mask should be worn properly, covering the nose and mouth and be kept in place until changed for a fresh one.  Moreover, the public was advised to continue with observing hand hygiene measures and coughing etiquette. 
Meanwhile, when queried on what could be done to deal with the cases in Manzini as it seemingly proved to be the epicentre of the outbreak, Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula said it was too early to detect.

“We know that Manzini is the hub of the country, everybody goes to Manzini so it comes as no surprise that this can lead to cases,” the director said.
He also explained that an epicentre was only established once they were sure of the definite concentration of cases. 

“It is not a creation but reflects that a number of cases may be coming from a certain area. For this reason, it may be a little bit too early to conclude that Manzini is the epicentre,” the director said.

He further mentioned that the ministry would be in a better position to declare the region as an epicentre for the outbreak. Magagula highlighted that it would make sense if everyone was tested. When further pressed on what could be done to deal with the outbreak in Manzini, Magagula overemphasised the importance of minimising travel at all costs.

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