Limpopo's 2.7 million Covid-19 'screenings' of little value: DA calls for complete and accurate data

29 April 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the MEC for Health PhophiRamathuba to provide complete and accurate data pertaining to the province’s Covid-19 screening and testing on a regular basis. This is vital to provide an accurate picture of the effect of the virus on the province and will play a crucial role in determining the level of lockdown that we will find ourselves in.

We are deeply concerned about the accuracy of the data that is currently provided.

The Limpopo Health Department has announced that the province has conducted more than 2.7 million screening tests, implying that Limpopo accounts for almost half of screening tests done countrywide.

However, the fact is that these "screenings" were wholly insufficient. They consisted of only two questions and no temperature measurements. Residents were asked if they had any flu symptoms and whether they had traveled outside the province for the last two weeks. That was the total scope of the "screenings" and means very little. It was an exercise in data capturing at best.

It is also concerning that, following these 2.7 million "screenings", by yesterday only 1 770 tests have taken place.

For an accurate reflection of the spread of the virus, we need a much higher number of tests to be conducted. Currently the Western Cape is the only province so far that has managed to gain an accurate picture of the full extent of the spread of the virus through extensive testing that has seen them carry out over 28 704 tests.

We have written numerous letters to MEC Ramathuba requesting information around the Covid-19 screening, testing and the province’s response to Covid-19 and they have all gone unanswered. The Limpopo Department of Health should be providing regular accurate information regarding:

Positive cases

Recoveries

Deaths

Patients in hospitals

Screening

Total tests

We have also submitted a letter with an extensive set of questions on details of the province’s Covid-19 response, for response on Monday 4 May 2020 during a scheduled meeting with Premier ChupuMathabatha and various MECs.

The DA acknowledges the efforts of MEC Ramathuba and the Department of Health in addressing the spread of Covid-19 in the province, but they need to be more transparent and forthcoming with the details of the province’s response.

Issued by Risham Maharaj,DA Limpopo Spokesperson for Health, 29 April 2020