Coronavirus – Eswatini: COVID-19 update, 30 May 2020

The Ministry of Health would like to inform the public of the status of COVID-19 in Eswatini. A total of 149 results were received, out of which 145 tested negative and four (4) were positive for coronavirus. The total number of COVID-19 confirmed cases to date is 283.

1. Breakdown of all confirmed cases and outcomes

Status of COVID-19 Confirmed Cases	Number of Patients
Admitted	71
Home Care	38
Recovered	168
Deaths	2
Registration for Care	4
TOTAL	283

1. Breakdown of newly confirmed cases

Case #	Gender	Age	Region	Clinical Condition
280	Male	43	Hhohho	Mild Disease
281	Male	29	Shiselweni	Asymptomatic
282	Male	45	Manzini	Asymptomatic
283	Male	34	Manzini	Asymptomatic
195	Male	44	Hhohho	Asymptomatic

1. Breakdown of cases by age and gender

Age	Male	Female
0-9	8	9
10-19	9	12
20-29	42	35
30-39	52	38
40-49	22	12
50-59	13	19
60-69	2	3
70-79	3	3
80+	0	1
Total	151	132

Adherence to public health measures is very important in slowing down the spread of coronavirus within the population. Factors including case finding include the laboratory result turnaround time, contact tracing, screening, swab collection and sample transportation activities at regional and facility levels.

Two (2) cases came from the Manzini Region, one (1) from Shiselweni and another one (1) from the Hhohho Region.

The Ministry of Health would like to emphasize on the importance of cooperating with health advice as follows:

1. The public is advised to continue with the practice of good hand hygiene, cough etiquette, physical distancing, wearing of masks and self-isolation.
2. Patients put on home care and those awaiting results are expected to adhere to self-isolation advice which includes using a single room at home without sharing, keeping a physical distance whenever other people are encountered and wearing of a mask to avoid contaminating surfaces.
3. Senior citizens above 60 years are encouraged and expected to comply with hospital admission arrangements when they are confirmed to be COVID-19 positive. This is very important for their own health since the documented risk factors for coronavirus include advanced age and the presence of other medical conditions.

The Ministry of Health wishes to thank all front line staff in this COVID-19 fight. These include; medical professionals, security forces and all essential workers. Their dedication and selfless commitment is highly appreciated and noticed by Emaswati. COVID-19 is an infection with evolving events which means the approach will continuously be marked by changes. We would like to assure the nation that the Ministry of Health is committed to bring about all necessary changes in the intervention, thus reshaping the country’s response to the pandemic.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini.