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In just 44 days since South Africa confirmed its first Covid-19 case, 108,021 people have been tested for the virus, and some 900,000 have been examined by healthcare workers.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, during a virtual press conference on Saturday night, said he was pleased with the moment that the number of people screened for Covid-19 was constantly increasing, but there was still much to do.
He announced that 108,021 people had been evaluated, with 3,034 positive cases and two new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 52.
This represents 251 new cases on Friday, the largest single-day increase in cases since the first positive case was identified on March 5, but it also represents the second-highest number of tests performed on a single day: 7,124.
Mkhize also announced that a nationwide community assessment and evaluation program implemented in recent weeks had so far screened 900,000 people, of whom approximately 11,000 had been referred for testing.
Worryingly, it revealed that they were seeing an average of 3.8% of referrals for tests that tested positive. Some provinces, such as Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, showed a higher average close to 5%, while other provinces were less than 1%.
But he said that in the US USA Tests had been conducted on approximately two million people and it had revealed that one in five people tested would be positive.
“Our infection level is not as high as that. For every person who tests positive, we have performed 38 tests,” he said.
The screening program is one of the most progressive campaigns launched in any country in the world, according to Professor Abdool Salim Karim, head of Mkhize’s ministerial advisory committee, who spoke during an interview with News24 this week.
Mkhize said he was satisfied with the increasing number of tests, which were approaching 123,000 total tests in 108,000 people, but was concerned that the targets set for tests per day were still quite high.
He previously said the health department was aiming for the number of tests to reach 30,000 per day.
“I am satisfied with the level of growth, but we are not close to where we want to be. The level is quite high and every week you will see that the numbers are increasing.”
Mkhize noted that the community screening program would also naturally lead to an increase in testing and in the number of cases, because health workers went to communities and found people who would not normally have presented to a hospital until symptoms become much more severe.
SA, one of the main countries for testing
The test is performed by detecting four main symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, and sore throat. Healthcare workers make a decision in the field, based on the symptoms presented, on whether a person should be referred for the test and whether they can collect samples on the spot.
Then, health workers also identify close contacts for those who believe they need to be evaluated, and may also decide to refer them for analysis.
Mkhize referenced the number of tests conducted in the country as the second only after Thailand in the time period, and referred to the Worldometers Covid-19 instrument panel as an indicator.
As of Saturday night, South Africa ranked in the top 40 countries in terms of the number of tests conducted, out of approximately 180 countries around the world that have reported cases so far.
“Other countries have had many more days, a kind of wealthy countries. But we want to increase our tests to a high level, it is in our best interest to do so. Our capacity is quite well established, but the process has to be accelerated,” he said.
Dr. Kamy Chetty, executive director of the National Service of Health Laboratories, said that this week Cepheid test cartridges in the United States had finally arrived and had been validated.
These kits are used in conjunction with GeneXpert machines, some of which have been installed in mobile vans, and can deliver results in less than 45 minutes.
The Xpert Xpress Test Kit made by Cepheid in the USA. USA You can, along with your GeneXpert machine, test Covid-19 in less than 45 minutes. The kits are a crucial part of the plans to increase the number of tests in the country.
“We have received around 10,000 of those kits and we are one of the few countries that have received those kits,” Chetty said.
Chetty said the NHLS hoped to get enough tests of Cepheid to use 10,000 a day, but that the company had indicated that production levels still could not meet that demand.
NHLS expected another 20,000 of the kits to be delivered next week.
“We are also using the Cobas 6800 and 8800 testing machines[madebyroche[madebyRoche[hechoporRoche[madebyRocheIn Switzerland]. We have been hoping to get more of those kits because the machines are fully automated, but production of those kits is limited, “Chetty said.
“So far, we have been able to meet demand from the number of tests that have been performed each day, but we hope to increase the numbers,” he concluded.
Chetty said 52 of 60 new mobile detection and test vans have been deployed so far. Chetty previously told News24 that about 20 of the vans would be equipped with GeneXpert machines, but most of them would be equipped with detection equipment, which would allow workers to collect samples for testing in the labs.
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