South Africa to be ‘swarmed’ if coronavirus testing not increased

South Africa’s Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says the country could “soon be swarmed” if measures are not taken to fast-track coronavirus testing and prevent the spread of the disease.

Dr Mkhize said so far 47,541 tests had been conducted but that more would be needed in order to get a “true picture” of the pandemic. 

On Thursday, the minister said that with flu season about to start in May, many more patients would be entering health centres - creating a hotbed for the coronavirus to spread. 

He said that time was running out for South Africa and that the country could be experiencing a “calm before a heavy and devastating storm”. 

Dr Mkhize called the country’s current testing strategy “reactive and restrictive” for focussing only on people with pronounced symptoms. He said the government would now pivot towards testing people with mild symptoms in overcrowded areas, deploying 67 mobile testing vans across the country to do so. 

Health workers will also start looking for patients, rather than waiting for patients to come to hospitals, so as to get a true idea of the scale of the outbreak. 

Photo: AFP