A Zimbabwean female returnee from South Africa who died on Sunday night at Mkoba Teachers College quarantine centre in Gweru was chronically ill and was still awaiting COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results.
Midlands Provincial Affairs minister Larry Mavhima on Tuesday revealed that Nomathemba Ndlovu’s rapid diagnostic test results came back negative. Said Mavima:
The 31-year-old from South Africa had been chronically ill for a month while still in South Africa.
She came on May 17 and was coughing and on treatment from South Africa. She was on a course of antibiotics, haematinics and painkillers.
… she was screened for COVID-19 using RDT [rapid diagnostic tests] and was negative.
Mavima added that samples for COVID-19 PCR were taken and they are waiting for the results.