COVID-19 mass screening continues to yield dividends as more stand to be reached

SEKHUKHUNE – Limpopo Health MEC, Dr Phophi Ramathuba announced that following the launch of households screening programme by Premier Chupu Mthabatha, the department of health immediately deployed over nine-thousand and eight-hundred community health care workers to carry out the task.

MEC Ramathuba was speaking during the department’s announcement on the latest COVID-19 statistics and report on the mass household screening and testing campaign in Lebowakgomo outside Polokwane on Sunday, 26 April 2020.

According to the MEC the community health care workers had managed to visit over eight-hundred thousand households and in the process, screened over two million people.

Ramathuba said that constituted over 50 percent of the entire population of the province and of that, 2783 were referred for testing with 1770 tested.

“Out of the 1770 people who were tested as per this programme, one person tested positive. For us, the identification of people to be tested through this process is an indication of the strength and impact of this programme in our communities on the fight against this pandemic.

 As the department, we want to commend our community health care workers for their commitment and dedication. We are aware that there are communities that are yet to be reached through this process of screening.

 We have given an extension of the four days next week for our workers to reach out to those. We want to continuously urge our community members to continue observing the rules of the lockdown a declared by the president.  We wish to implore them to also continue to take precautionary measures,” said Ramathuba