As the health ministry ramps up mass testing and screening across the country laboratories have come under pressure facing a significant backlog in processing Covid-19 tests, with potential coronavirus patients facing a waiting period of up to two weeks to get their results.

As of Tuesday the iLembe district had the second highest number of confirmed cases (122) in KZN second only to eThekwini (579).

According to the health department, as of April 26 a total of 168 643 Covid-19 tests had been conducted since the first case of the virus was reported in the country in early March.

While the country’s current daily capacity exceeds 7 000 it still falls short of the 30 000 target prescribed by the governments mass-testing approach.

Before the ramped-up community testing, 80 percent of testing had previously been through the private sector.

That is expected to change given the community health screening and the much wider testing criteria now in use.

Health minister Zweli Mkhize recently said swift tracing and testing protocols remained vital to government’s overall strategy and testing would need to be tripled by the first week in May.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the turnaround time for test results varies according to the processes followed.

Depending on the type of test performed from the time samples are sent to the lab, it could take anywhere between 24 hours and a week to finalise.

However the lengthy turnaround time and laboratory backlogs remains a challenge. While laboratories are under enormous pressure and backlogs were being attended to, a local health worker who did not wish to be named told the Courier the process was complicated.

“The shortage of Covid-19 test kits in areas where there is a surge in demand for testing presents one problem.

“Many facilities are overwhelmed by the number of people getting tested – therefore the waiting period may be as long as two weeks,” she said.

While the governement is working on getting fast testing kits – the GeneXpert diagnostics – said to produce results in under an hour, the procurement process has been marred by over-demand.

Mkhize said government was awaiting another delivery of 15 000 GeneXpert kits, which would significantly increase the country’s testing capabilities.

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