The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has confirmed that a Wits University medicine student has tested positive for COVID-19.
The test was conducted by a private laboratory.
The Health Department said it is aware of the student’s test results.
“As previously announced by the Minister of Health, on receiving positive results from a private laboratory, the NICD will conduct a retest in order to confirm and validate the results before they are released,” read the statement.
As we speak, the Minister said, the NCID is conducting a confirming test of this specimen.
Once the results are available a formal announcement will be made.
The Minister said this process had been agreed upon between the private and public laboratories at a meeting that took place on Saturday, which was convened by the Minister.
According to media reports, the student has been in self-isolation since Wednesday as a precaution taken by the university while they waited on his test results.
The department on Sunday confirmed that there were 51 cases of Coronavirus in South Africa.
Gauteng now has 24 cases while the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal have, respectively, confirmed 14 and 12 cases. Mpumalanga has recorded only one case. – SAnews.gov.za
