Lesotho records first case of Coronavirus; All African countries now affected by COVID-19

Lesotho has recorded its first case of Coronavirus, making it the last African nation to report a positive case.

Lesotho’s Ministry of Health said on Wednesday, May 13, that 81 COVID-19 tests conducted on May 9 on travellers from South Africa and Saudi Arabia came back with a positive case. The patient is a Lesotho national studying in Saudi Arabia.

A statement released by the Southern African country’s ministry of health reads in part;

“On 9 May 2020, the Ministry [of Health] conducted 81 tests for Covid-19 from travellers from South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

“On 11 May 2020 the samples were shipped to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in South Africa and results were obtained on 12 May 2020. Eighty people tested negative for Covid-19 while one tested positive.”

The ministry said it will continue to carry out active case finding through vigilant screening and testing all the suspected cases, and monitoring of those on home quarantine. The country had sent 597 specimens to South Africa for testing.

The first positive case comes a week after the country lifted its national lockdown. Lesotho’s lockdown started on 30 April and lasted until 5 May.

The lockdown was lifted against the advice of the inter-ministerial committee which said the country was not prepared to deal with a possible outbreak since its quarantine facilities comprised just 148 beds.