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The Small Southern African Country of Lesotho is Attending its First COVID-19 Patient


Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Motsoahae Thabane addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019.
Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Motsoahae Thabane addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019.

Healthcare workers in the tiny Southern African country of Lesotho are attending to the country's first COVID-19 patient.

Lesotho's health ministry confirmed the country's first case Wednesday, making it the last of the 54 countries on the continent to report the disease.

Authorities say the patient, who is in isolation, tested positive after arriving in Lesotho five days ago, but was not showing any symptoms.

The patient was the only one among dozens of travelers from Saudi Arabia and South Africa to test positive for the coronavirus.

Lesotho is surrounded by South Africa, which has the highest number of confirmed cases in Africa with 11,350.

Lesotho's first positive case comes a week after the country lifted its national lockdown.

Lesotho's Health Ministry said in a statement that it’s still awaiting test results from just over 300 people.

Africa's Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports the coronavirus has infected just under 70,000 people with more than 2,400 deaths on the African continent.

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