Question NW994 to the Minister of Health

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18 June 2020 - NW994

Profile picture: Van Staden, Mr PA

Van Staden, Mr PA to ask the Minister of Health

(1)Whether, with reference to his media release on 17 May 2020, in which he reported that a total number of 10 737 341 persons have been screened throughout the Republic for Covid-19, he can indicate (a) what number of persons have been screened in each province, (b) on what date(s) did the specified screening in each province take place, (c) in what areas and/or suburbs of each province the screening took place and (d) what period of time will it take to screen each and every citizen in the Republic; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details in each case; (2) whether he will make a statement on the matter?

Reply:

(1) (a) As of 3 June 2020, 15,224,792 individuals have been screened for COVID19. The provincial breakdown is tabulated below:

Province

Number of Individuals Screened

Eastern Cape

1,419,988

Free State

1,914,289

Gauteng

1,835,140

KwaZulu-Natal

1,755,049

Limpopo

3,098,840

Mpumalanga

1,889,989

North West

1,892,341

Northern Cape

838,831

Western Cape

580,325

National

15,224,792

(b) The community screening campaign started on the 8th of April 2020 and continues to date, however a shift to a more targeted screening strategy commenced on the 18th of May 2020;

(c) The screening activities focussed in areas with confirmed CODIV-19 cases such as townships, villages, farms, suburbs including vulnerable groups such as old age homes, prisons, supermarkets etc. The number of people screened is highest in Limpopo Province as a result of careening even in districts with no confirmed COVID-19 cases. The list of areas where community screening was done received from GP,NW, EC and LIM is attached. Some provinces did not respond to the request on the areas covered through community screening;

(d) There is no evidence on the time it will take to physically screen every person in the country as this will be influenced by the distance and travel time between households, demographic structure, the number of household members per household and the working hours per each person doing screening. In order to reach others an application called Healthcheck was deployed. It can be used by anyone with a mobile phone to check and report symptoms. Between April 13 to June 3,922,626 users screened for symptoms through Healthcheck.

2. Statements are made on the screening activities as part of the media release on COVID-19.

END.

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