Coronavirus: South Africa sets up mobile vans to extend screening

A van ready to test residents of the Yeoville district in central Johannesburg. RFI / Claire Bargeles

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The South African Minister of Health this week launched a mobile testing campaign: eventually, around 60 vans will be able to travel to collect samples of suspected cases of Covid-19. A first deployment took place Friday, in the popular district of Yeoville, in the center of Johannesburg.

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With our correspondent in Johannesburg, Claire Bargelès

This is the solution found for those who cannot necessarily go to the test centers. A van is parked in the courtyard of the neighborhood clinic, and agents roam the streets to educate residents. A sample is taken from the nose and throat of those who show symptoms of the virus.

South Africa has been confined for a week now and the country already has seven victims and has recorded 1505 positive cases , the highest number of cases detected on the continent. But these figures are probably not representative of reality, according to the authorities, who intend to intensify screening to have a better view of the situation and to identify foci of infection.

►Read also: South Africa: the life of a family confined to Soweto

All the samples collected are then sent to analysis centers, as Bahule Motlonye, ​​of the National Laboratory for Health Services (NHLS) explains: “ By tomorrow morning normally, the samples will have been tested. We want to be able to reach different populations, especially in very populated areas, in order to be able to increase the number of tests carried out, ”he explains.

Up to 30,000 tests per day

In fact, the teams are still groping, the distances in the queues are difficult to respect, and few samples are taken during this test morning. In addition, vans are not yet equipped with lighter and faster tests, like the GeneXpert. " For now, we have to be content with PCR tests, these are the ones we are doing this morning," he comments. We should soon have different tests available, like that, if the number of cases increases, we will also be able to increase the number of tests. "

The country can currently analyze up to 5,000 samples per day. The Minister of Health hopes, thanks to new tests, to be able to climb to 30,000 to have a more precise idea of ​​the development of the epidemic, while the first cases have appeared in the townships.

The country also intends to use the location data of telephone operators to trace the course of people tested positive and be able to target screening. The Minister of Communication ensures that technology will not be used to spy on citizens and that the right to privacy will be respected.

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  • South Africa
  • Coronavirus
  • Health and Medicine

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