SA health minister tests positive for Covid-19

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize and his wife Dr May have tested positive for COVID-19 and are now in quarantine at home.

The Minister announced the news of his COVID-19 status and that of his wife in a statement released on Sunday evening.

In the statement, Mkhize said he and his wife Dr May Mkhize went to test for the Coronavirus after he started showing mild symptoms of the deadly pandemic.

“I was feeling abnormally exhausted and as the day progressed, I started loosing appetite. My wife had a cough, was dizzy and extremely exhausted. Given her symptoms, the doctors advised that she must be admitted for observation and rehydration.

Our close contacts in the past week have been a few of our family members and some of my Health Ministry team. We have informed them and advised them to immediately isolate in their homes and be tested,” reads the statement .

The Minister said he was optimistic that they will recover from the virus , and he advised South Africans to continue adhering to health protocols to avoid contacting and spreading the disease.

“I want to beg that we do not neglect wearing our masks, social distancing and washing / sanitizing our hands. As country, we’ve made significant strides in our fight against this pandemic. Let us not dare regress. Whatever we do and wherever we go, we have to keep in mind that there remains a risk of a second wave. This virus only spreads through movement and contact of people. Therefore we must all play our part. We must protect ourselves and those we love,” said Mkhize in the statement.

The Health Minister said he was going to use the quarantine period to rest and recharge his batteries indicating that the task “to improve the health services of our country and the lives our people even post COVID-19 remains of paramount importance.”