The Hart of the Matter: Testing, testing.

Testing times lie ahead.  In order to properly manage and combat the Covid-19 virus, accurate and widespread testing is going to be critical going forward. The government plan is to increase the testing on a large scale over the coming weeks.

As of last weekend our nation had conducted over 50 000 tests. We are doing well in relation to Brazil, for example, but we are lagging behind Australia with 300 000 tests and South Korea with almost half a million tests.

Testing here has so far has focused primarily on people with symptoms of Covid-19, who were returning from overseas but now the potential range has extended and the target is now far less defined. The testing is going to have to penetrate more communities on a far larger scale to prevent outbreaks. In order to manage the roll-out of the mass testing Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize is turning to a medical device call The GeneXpert previously used to detect TB.

The smallest version of the machine is the size of a desktop computer, containing four cartridges. Each cartridge can be loaded up with sputum from a patient together with chemical reagents which allow the machine to detect genetic material of TB, or, in this situation, Coronavirus. The time taken to conduct a test and return results is around 45 minutes.

A health worker tester takes a sample from the patient and inserts it into the cartridge. The genetic material of the coronavirus is then released, within the secure closed system. Director of the Centre of Excellence in Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, Professor Bavesh Kana, has reassured the South African public that the GeneXpert is a safe, fast and user-friendly system.

If all goes to plan, testing can be done from mobile laboratories that the health department is rolling out. In our common goal to protect all South Africans and ensure we get control of this virus its essential that there is public cooperation.

Let’s help the health department to help us.

The Hart of the Matter is a regular editorial column by  communications strategist and award-winning screenwriter Toby Hart.