Kenyan MP pretends to have coronavirus during committee

A coronavirus phone operator left politicians in stitches after a Kenyan MP anonymously called the ministry of health hotline pretending to have symptoms during a committee sitting.

The legislator Sabina Chege did a test run in front of the health minister who was being questioned on government's preparedness.

The call ended up becoming a comic relief for the committee members when the phone operator asked the caller why she could not take a taxi to the hospital yet she had travelled to China.

The ministry worker had at first said "we do not have any coronavirus in the country" before proceeding to tell the caller she "did not sound to be very sick".

He asked the caller to go to the nearest hospital for check up. When asked which means of transport was best to use they told them to use a taxi to which the caller said she did not have money and the official asked how she managed to go to China without money.

The legislators asked the ministry to ensure staffers are well trained to handle such calls.

You can watch the whole video, starting from three minutes in:


South African nurse investigated for smuggling placentas
A hospital in South Africa is investigating if a male nurse smuggled placentas out of the facility with a plan to sell them to traditional healers.

The nurse was arrested by police who were on patrol after what they described as suspicious behaviour.

Police said they saw him moving boxes from his car boot to the front seat. They searched the car and said they found placentas inside the boxes.

Police say the nurse told them that he intended to sell the placentas to traditional healers.

Hospital spokesperson Zwide Ndwandwe was quoted on local media as saying that the nurse had been suspended and security at the hospital improved to prevent similar cases.


Since Monday, BBC Newsday has been gathering listeners' questions about coronavirus sent to the programme's Facebook pages.

Newsday's Tom Hagler has now turned to Professor Andrew Easton, a UK-based virologist, for the answers.