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A News24 staff member undergoes a Covid-19 antibody test.
- The Gauteng health department will conduct an antibody survey.
- 3,500 households can expect a visit from a healthcare professional.
- The antibody survey will measure the infection rate in the province.
The Gauteng Health Department is conducting an antibody survey to measure the extent of Covid-19 infections in the province.
“There are many people in Gauteng who possibly had Covid-19, but they were never counted as Covid-19 cases because they were never tested,” spokesperson Kwara Kekana said in a statement.
“The survey will help the government to better understand how the virus is spreading in the Gauteng population over time and to put in place the appropriate response measures to stop its spread,” he added.
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As a result, health professionals will visit 3,500 homes and reach 14,000 people across the province between November and December 2020.
The test will be done by pricking the person’s finger to extract a few drops of blood, which will be sent to a laboratory for analysis.
Test
“This is done to identify people in the province’s population who have antibodies against Covid-19. Antibody test results can provide information on previous infections in people who had or did not have symptoms of the virus,” Kekana explained .
The MEC Acting Health, Jacob Mamobolo, says this study is key to the province’s efforts to contain the spread of the virus, as well as to obtain an estimate of who has been infected, where they are and the trajectory of the virus.
“When we have that information at our disposal, we will be able to make appropriate decisions in response to the pandemic, taking into consideration the limited resources of the government,” he said.
The government has urged residents to cooperate and support the antibody survey.
Residents should note that healthcare professionals will visit their homes only during the day, wear a uniform, and carry identification tags.
The antibody survey is conducted in partnership with the VIDA Research Unit of the Medical Research Council, the University of Pretoria and the University of the Witwatersrand.
