The Eastern Cape has recorded its first coronavirus (COVID-19) related death. A retired nurse has died from COVID-19 at Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth.
The deceased had attended a funeral at KwaDwesi Location where she is believed to have contracted the virus. The Nelson Mandela Bay is the epicenter of the pandemic, with 30 reported cases of the 61 in the province.
Eastern Cape Health MEC, Sindiswa Gomba says safety measures were not followed at the funeral.
“The patient was admitted just over a week at Livingstone in Port Elizabeth and she, unfortunately, lost the battle. She got into our hospital in a coma and we were thinking she is going to survive but however condolences to the family.”
South Africa is currently on a national lockdown, which will end at the end of April.
"At midnight tonight, it will be exactly two weeks since our country entered into an unprecedented nation-wide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus." – President Ramaphosa#COVID19 #CoronaVirusSA #LockdownSA pic.twitter.com/teVQ2sqJyI
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) April 9, 2020
President Ramaphosa announced the lockdown’s extension on Thursday night.
“If we end the lockdown too soon or too abruptly we risk a massive and uncontrollable resurgence of the disease we risk reversing the gains that we have made over the last few weeks and rendering meaningless the great sacrifices that we have all made fellow South Africans this evening I stand before you to ask you to endure a little longer,” he said.
The number of infections in the country currently stands at 1 934 with 18 deaths recorded.
