Covid-19 positive teen refused testing at Boksburg clinic

A Van Dyk Park family is deeply disappointed at the Van Dyk Park Clinic, in Boksburg, nurses who turned away their sick 14-year-old daughter, who recently went to the facility to get tested for Covid-19.

Although the child subsequently tested positive for the virus, the metro still insists that the clinician who assessed the child found that she was not illegible for testing, as she did not meet the current criteria for testing for the coronavirus at government clinics.

According to the 14-year-old’s uncle, Christopher Foxcroft, two days after being turned away from the municipal clinic, his niece was taken to a private health facility where test results confirmed that she was infected with the Covid-19 virus.

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“My sister’s daughter asked the nurses to test her for Covid-19 because she felt sick and couldn’t smell and taste. However, the nurses told her that her illness was not Covid-19-related, saying it was just symptoms of tonsillitis, and they turned her away without conducting any tests.

“My mom had to take her to another healthcare facility where it was found that she was infected. My mom also later tested positive for the virus,” explained Foxcroft.

“The clinic’s refusal to help my sister’s daughter left all of us terribly disappointed in the clinic’s staff. How can a professional nurse turn away a sick child who shows signs of being sick or infected with Covid-19?”

The family described the incident as a grave dereliction of duty, adding that this unnecessarily put a lot of people at risk.

The child and her grandmother have survived the virus and are now fully recovered.

Guidelines were followed

In its response, the Ekurhuleni metro maintained that nurses at the Van Dyk Park Clinic followed the stipulated guidelines to check if the 14-year-old met the current criteria for testing for coronavirus.

According to Metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini, the professional nurse at the clinic carried out her duties with diligence to prevent unnecessary diagnostic procedures, which are not warranted by the National Department of Health’s (NDoH) guidelines.

“Guidelines on testing and management of Covid-19 stipulate that all persons visiting the health facilities must be screened for Covid-19 symptoms and diagnostic tests will be performed if more than two Covid-19 symptoms are detected.

“The clinician who assessed the child found that the child did not have more than two Covid-19 symptoms, and was therefore not illegible for testing.

“Nurses at the Primary Healthcare (PHC) facilities are obliged to comply with clinical guidelines and are continuously advised not to allow any form of coercion from clients, which may result in non-compliance to PHC policies.

The metro also pointed out that the 14-year-old child should not have visited the clinic alone because it is against the Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) on informed consent.

“The child is regarded as a minor and cannot give consent on his or her own. A minor child will not understand and answer all health-related questions during clinical assessment.”

When asked about those who are asymptomatic but have reason to believe they have been in contact with Covid-19 positive person/s, Dlamini said such cases are considered on a case-by-case basis.

“These cases mostly include people who have had close contact (within six feet for a total of 15 minutes or more over 24 hours with someone with confirmed Covid-19).”

Dlamini also shared the following information with regards to testing for Covid-19:
• Fully vaccinated people with no Covid-19 symptoms do not need to be tested following exposure to someone with Covid-19.
• People who have tested positive for Covid-19 within the past three months and recovered do not need to get tested following exposure as long as they do not develop new symptoms.

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