South African Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize announced Sunday evening that he had tested positive for Covid, two days after the country passed the milestone of 700,000 recorded cases.
He is the fifth member of the government to have contracted the new coronavirus, after his colleagues in Commerce, Labor, Mining Resources and Defense.
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"I want to inform the public that this afternoon my wife and I received a positive result for Covid-19"
, wrote the minister, claiming to have been tested the day before after unusual fatigue and loss of appetite .
The minister, who placed himself in quarantine at home, said he had been in contact this past week
"with some members of our family and my team from the Ministry of Health"
, who were informed of the news.
“They were advised to isolate themselves immediately at home and get tested,”
said the minister, who was on the front line during the coronavirus epidemic which peaked in July-August in the country.
South Africa has 43% of Covid-19 cases on the African continent.
However, South Africa's 2% increase in cases remains lower than the 7% increase across the continent over the past month, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The country has recorded 18,370 deaths linked to the disease.
The strict containment measures and travel restrictions put in place have been relaxed, but Zweli Mkhize once again asked South Africans on Sunday to remain vigilant because the
"risk exists"
of seeing
"a second wave"
appear
.