Long delays for Covid-19 test results at Joburg hotspot
15 June 2020
The worst hit COVID-19 area in Gauteng is Ward 58 in Johannesburg, but test results for many of its residents are outstanding for more than 10 days.
This ward is near the inner city and includes Mayfair, Fordsburg, Homestead Park and Vrededorp. Testing sites for this hotspot were put up on 4 and 5 June, but many people have not yet received their results, including DA Ward Councillor Alex Christians. According to Christians, health inspectors wishing to trace contacts are frustrated as they are told that testing specimens were not marked and they cannot pick up the people they are enquiring about.
Another example of slow results was experienced by DA Ekurhuleni Councillor Khetha Shandu who was tested at a mobile testing station in Tembisa on 22 May and only got his result three weeks later on 13 June. He was fortunately negative but an undiagnosed infectious person can potentially infect many others.
The Gauteng strategy of mass COVID-19 community testing needs to change urgently in view of the continuing slow turn-around times and the current backlog of 23 000 tests in the province.