More Covid-19 testing needed in Tshwane

4 May 2020

I am concerned that not enough Covid-19 testing is being done in Tshwane because of poor community screening by community health workers in that area.

According to figures released by the Gauteng Provincial Command Council on 30 April, community screening in Tshwane has reached a total of 262 211 people, but only 19 Covid-19 tests were done.

This compares to 6630 tests done in Johannesburg after 151 132 people were screened, and 886 tests after community screening of 109 369 in Ekurhuleni.

It appears that the criteria for testing were too narrow in Tshwane, so many Covid-19 cases could have been missed, especially since it has been found that 50% or more of infected people do not have symptoms.

The latest figures show a steep uptick of more than 30% in Covid-19 cases in Tshwane, rising by 52 cases from 149 cases on 29 April to 201 cases on 2 May. This compares to Ekurhuleni with a similar size population which rose by 31 cases from 318 to 349 over this period.

An additional concern is that a community health worker in Tshwane has tested positive for Covid-19, which indicates that more protective equipment and other precautions are needed.

We need to be more proactive in searching out Covid-19 cases in order to keep ahead of this epidemic. This requires aggressive screening and testing in Tshwane and elsewhere in Gauteng, targeting areas like shops and workplaces where outbreaks are more likely to occur.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 4 May 2020