Zimbabwean authorities have confirmed the voluntary return of a suspected coronavirus patient to a private hospital located in the capital Harare.
The state-owned Herald Newspaper on Monday reported that the Thai patient who entered the country in February had absconded from the Wilkins Infectious Disease Hospital where he was scheduled to be tested for the virus.
The information ministry quickly issued a statement giving details on the situation stressing that despite being earmarked for testing, the patient did not meet the WHO case definition for coronavirus.
We are keeping an eye on him and we are happy that he is back for us to conduct the necessary tests. He is currently in isolation until we are sure that he does not have the virus.
The 26-year-old man presented himself at an isolation centre in the city, the newspaper said. He had been referred to the hospital from a local facility where he had reported sick.
City Health Director Dr Prosper Chonzi said the man would be held in isolation and would only be released when he tests negative.
“We are keeping an eye on him and we are happy that he is back for us to conduct the necessary tests. He is currently in isolation until we are sure that he does not have the virus,” said Dr Chonzi.
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— Ministry of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting (InfoMinZW) March 9, 2020MoHCCZimupdates that a male adult who came into Zimbabwe on 14 February from Thailand, absconded before COVID-19 testing was done at Wilkins Hospital.The man did not meet WHO case definition for Coronavirus but was still earmarked for testing due to intensified surveillance pic.twitter.com/n9kIbQ0Sl3
