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Health workers in the Western Cape reported that they waited up to 10 days to obtain the results of the Covid-19 test, and sources in Gauteng say they are not alone.
Delays in results have left many infected patients fearful, who should otherwise be quarantined, may be unintentionally exposing others to the virus.
“The delay is not only being experienced in the Western Cape,” says provincial health department spokesman Nomawethu Sbukwana.
“As the Western Cape, and indeed other provinces, the evidence increases, [the National Health Laboratory Services] they find it difficult to keep up-to-date and process these tests, resulting in an accumulation of results nationwide. “
The Western Cape has become the epicenter of the South African coronavirus outbreak, known as SARS-Cov-2.
Sbukwana said the department had contacted the National Health Service.
Laboratory services (NHLS) to try to increase the test capacity in the
Province.
Currently, the province’s health department was testing around 1,600 people daily for the virus.
the
NHLS did not confirm or deny the delays when Bhekisisa asked, but the laboratory
the service said the demand for evidence had exceeded its offer.
“The
requested test kits could not be delivered due to logistical problems
that were beyond the control of the suppliers, “said spokesman Mzimasi
Gcukumana in a statement.
“There were more delays in transporting supplies due to the blockade, flight cancellations and long weekends.”
Although Gcukumana said the global shortage had also contributed to the shortage of test kits, he added that NHLS was working with private and academic laboratories to process samples as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, Sbukwana said the delays were a serious threat to efforts to trace close contacts of people diagnosed with the virus.
As samples accumulate, results are released in larger batches, meaning
teams of community health workers have to try to find closer
contacts at any time.
Doctors in the Western Cape said so
It was not uncommon to wait eight days for the results to return, with
Similar delays have been reported in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng.
Health care
The workers, who spoke to Bhekisisa on condition of anonymity, said that
they have been told that at least one of the main laboratories of the NHLS Western Cape has a
overdue work on nearly 5,000 Covid-19 tests. Waiting times for test results,
they have been told that they are only likely to grow.
Sbukwana did not respond to these allegations.
But sources in the province said the department may be negotiating.
with at least one private laboratory to process urgent health care tests
hospitalized workers and patients.
Backlog fuels fears that Covid-19 numbers may be undervalued
The Eastern Cape and Gauteng did not respond to requests for comment at the time of printing.
But DA health spokesman Jack Bloom released a statement on Friday saying he was alarmed by delays in the province.
“Private
labs generally provide results within 24 hours, but it seems
be a capacity issue with public testing as I know of cases where
“The results took up to seven days,” wrote Bloom.
is the Diepsloot South Clinic staff member who tested positive
earlier this week after doing a lot of community assessment visits. “
Without quick results, he warned, the province risked losing the opportunity to move quickly to contain local outbreaks.
Bloom said proving the delays could mean Gauteng’s Covid-19 numbers were being underestimated.
The NHLS had processed around 92,000 Covid-19 tests in Gauteng as of May 6, accounting for a third of all tests conducted by the National Laboratory Service nationwide, according to figures released by the Health Department. from Gauteng.
The province leads the country in NHLS tests, followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, which have recorded around 54,000 tests each.
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Currently, public labs perform about one in two Covid-19 tests in South Africa, and NHLS recently added six more labs to those that can run diagnostics.
Bhekisisa asked the national health department what delays in testing could mean for the country’s national figures and high-level decision-making. He had not responded at the time of publication. Bhekisisa will update this story as soon as it responds.
Patients return to work only to discover later that they have the virus.
Meanwhile, health workers said they fear delays in results would put people at risk unnecessarily. If patients had access to test results quickly, they could take steps to protect those around them, especially loved ones with whom they live who are at high risk of contracting the virus.
It also makes bad news even more difficult to deliver.
Nandi Msingizane, not her real name, is a public sector doctor in the Western Cape and spoke on condition of anonymity.
On Monday, he telephoned three patients to deliver positive Covid-19 results for tests they had taken nine days earlier.
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The next day, he picked up the phone again, this time to tell four patients that they had also tested positive for the virus. The group had waited more than a week for their results.
“About 10 days later,” he tells Bhekisisa. “I am almost too embarrassed to contact them. He completely scoffs at our community assessment and evaluation policy.”
Patient reactions, he said, range from anger to shock and fear for their families.
“I have many patients who returned to work or their families because they had not been contacted after two days, so they assumed their results were negative, only to have their positive results come out after seven days.”
“A man was furious because it had taken him so long. He is a taxi driver and went back to work,” added Msingizane.
“We are doing more and more testing every day. We are told to hope to wait longer in the future. This is not feasible, especially with our increased evaluation and testing in the community.”
This story was produced by the Bhekisisa Center for Health Journalism. Sign up for newsletter.
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