Are Covid-19 cases being missed in Tshwane?

29 April 2020

I am concerned by the closure yesterday of the Bronkhorstspruit Hospital as two staff members have tested positive for Covid-19. No new patients are being accepted and the entire hospital is now being deep-cleaned.

Bronkhorstspruit falls in Tshwane’s district 7 which includes Ekangala, Sokhulumi, Dark City, Zithobeni, Kanana and Rethabiseng. Only one Covid-19 case was recorded in this district as at 27 April.

The entire city of Tshwane has recorded 136 cases, which is far lower than the 804 cases in Johannesburg and the 300 cases in Ekurhuleni which has a similar size population.

I suspect that a fair number of Covid-19 cases have not been picked up in Tshwane because of inadequate screening and testing.

Intensified efforts are needed to ensure that Covid-19 infection clusters in Tshwane are identified as soon as possible, and appropriate quarantine measures taken to break the chain of transmission.

Issued by Jack Bloom,DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 29 April 2020