Friday, 29 March, 2024
HomeWeekly RoundupDoctor who saw SA's first confirmed coronavirus patient back at work

Doctor who saw SA's first confirmed coronavirus patient back at work

The doctor of a private practice in Hilton, in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, who saw South Africa's first confirmed coronavirus patient says she is as “fit as a fiddle”, reports The Times. Dr Robyn Ann Reed, a general practitioner, attended to a patient on 3 March at her practice and recommended that he take a swab test. The man was told on Thursday by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) that he tested positive for coronavirus.

Reed is quoted in the report as saying it was “business as usual”, with the doors of the practice remaining open. She said she had been told that she could go back to consulting provided she was not sick and observed the necessary precautions, such as wearing a mask. “A person who might be carrying the virus should wear a mask. We're washing our hands and going around our rooms regularly, disinfecting every hour or so.”

Reed's office released a statement on Friday saying their practice was not closed and that her colleagues posed no health risks.

[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-03-06-im-as-fit-as-a-fiddle-says-doctor-who-saw-sas-first-coronavirus-patient/"]Full report in The times[/link]

MedicalBrief — our free weekly e-newsletter

We'd appreciate as much information as possible, however only an email address is required.