Towards the end of 2019, the world has witnessed the outbreak of a new strain of virus that had not previously been identified in humans. The Novel coronavirus was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan (Hubei province). The World Health Organisation swiftly declared a public health emergency of international concern at the end of January 2020, as infections spread rapidly within China. Since then an increasing number of cases have been confirmed outside of China, including South Africa. The situation is evolving rapidly.