Mbabane: Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi went into self-isolation after a COVID-19 scare hit her office after a staff member tested positive for the virus.
Speaker in the House of Assembly Petros Mavimbela made the announcement on Thursday at Parliament after the Minister did not show up for a scheduled sitting of the house. Mavimbela told MPs that the minister is currently waiting for her results as she was tested as soon as she was suspected to have been in contact with a positive case.
This is for the second time a politician is suspected to have contracted the deadly coronavirus. About a month ago, MPs had to be tested after Manzini North MP Macford Sibandze tested positive. All MPs and Cabinet ministers were tested but fortunately, no one tested positive. However, Sibandze was treated and recovered from the most feared virus.
Following the opening of the economy, allowing more businesses to operate, Eswatini has seen an increasing number of confirmed cases. In the last 72 hours, 102 cases have been confirmed.
On Thursday, 51 new confirmed positive cases were announced while 31 and 27 were announced on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. Nkosi said the newly confirmed cases are comprise of 19 cases from Manzini Region and are said to be from clusters of Zakhele and Ngwane Park.
Shiselweni region has recorded six more new cases bringing up the total to 32 cases and they are all scattered around the places not clustering.
Nkosi also revealed that 15 of the newly confirmed cases were from Lubombo region and clustering around Mpaka and the total number of cases now stands at 50. Hhohho region has also picked 11 new cases, clustering around Mkhuzweni area and the total number of cases in the region now stands at 10, adding that most of the new cases are asymptomatic and some have mild symptoms and their age’s ranges from 12-70 years.
On another note minister announced two (2) recoveries bringing the total to 238.
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