The City of Cape Town’s community screening and testing initiative for Covid-19 has surpassed the 70 000 mark in its fourth week, the Council said on Wednesday.
The screening areas are determined based on where positive cases have been identified or where a higher risk of infection exists.
Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health Zahid Badroodien said: “The case load in our metropole is the result of the proactive mass screening campaign, our ability to trace contacts of positive cases, but also the fact that we have seen a number of cluster infections,”
“The more positive cases we identify, the sooner we are able to quarantine affected persons, trace and isolate their close contacts and limit the spread of the virus.
“It is therefore vital for residents to work with us and participate in the screening process as it comes to their areas.”
To date, 70 310 screenings and 5767 tests have been conducted.
In the last week alone, 30 156 screenings and 2577 tests were carried out.
Under the programme, community healthcare workers go door-to-door, questioning residents on symptoms regarding Covid-19.
Depending on their responses, residents are referred for testing at a clinic or a mobile site in their area.
The test takes a few minutes and residents who undertake one are required to self-isolate until their results are available, normally within three days.
Health workers are expected to remain active within the Gugulethu, Mitchells Plain, Langa, Kraaifontein and Eerste River areas.
African News Agency