DA says slow pace of Gauteng virus testing is a danger to hospital staff

The DA’s Jack Bloom says the slow processing of Covid-19 tests in Gauteng is becoming a danger to staff at hospitals and clinics, as well as to patients who attend these facilities.

“I am aware of a large provincial clinic in Johannesburg where an administration clerk who had taken a test on 24 April was only told that he had tested positive last week. He was asymptomatic, but his colleagues have now all been put into quarantine.

“It appears that the testing backlog in Gauteng may be more than 10,000 – which accounts for some results taking more than two weeks,” said Bloom.

Referring to figures released by the provincial health department of testing numbers, he said confusion still existed over the nature of these tests.

Of the over 130,000 tests conducted in the province by the health department, Bloom said it was unclear to him if the numbers referred to actual tests conducted on people, or those completed in a laboratory with a result.

“I suspect that Gauteng infection figures are understated because of testing delays which need to be resolved as soon as possible if we are to fight this pandemic effectively,” said Bloom.

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