"The suspected case is under clinical management in the health facility observing all infection prevention and control standards relevant for a suspected case," Magagula said in a statement.

He said the woman recently entered eSwatini on 6 February after travelling from China to South Africa.

"She presented with a fever and was at the hospital then the rapid response team took over and took up the case. She came through the Ngwenya Port of Entry on February 6 having arrived from the Republic of South Africa.

"I don’t think she was presenting with any symptoms, we only picked her up on the 14th because she was already now in hospital, ill and had to be admitted to the isolation ward. So I guess when she passed through OR [Tambo airport] or even through Ngwenya border post she didn’t have the symptoms," the SABC reported Dr Magagula as saying. 

Citing health minister Lizzie Nkosi, the eSwatini Observer reported that results of blood samples taken from the 27-year-old woman were expected back in the country either on Monday or Tuesday.

She was placed in isolation at an unidentified venue after reportedly showing flu-like symptoms which raised fears she might have caught the deadly virus first detected in China last December.

To date, 51,857 laboratory cases of the virus have been confirmed globally. In China, 51,174 cases have been confirmed and 1,666 people have died due to COVID-19.

The death of a third patient outside China has been reported - this being a tourist from the Asian country who was visiting France.

Egypt reported the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Africa.

African News Agency (ANA)