A 39-year-old man has become the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in Eritrea, bringing the number of African nations to have detected cases of the disease to 39, dpa reported.
The Eritrean, who is a permanent resident ofNorway, returned to the African country's capital Asmara on March 21 on a FlyDubai flight, information minister Yemane Gebremeskel said in a statement lateon Saturday.
The patient exhibited symptoms of the novelcoronavirus at the screening process in the airport and was promptlyquarantined and tested, Gebremeskel said.
Africa had been largely spared from thepandemic for weeks, but has now recorded more than 700 cases and at least 17deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
There are concerns that weak national healthsystems in Africa will be quickly overwhelmed by the pandemic, which has so farkilled over 11,000 people globally.
