Open AccessCOVID-19 response in South African communities: Screening, testing, tracing and movement modelling
Author(s) -
Moeketsi Modisenyane,
L Madikezela,
Shadrack Mngemane,
O P Ramadan,
S Matlalal,
Kerrigan McCarthy,
Nevashan Govender,
Takalani Girly Nemungadi,
Sheetal P Silal
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
samj. south african medical journal/south african medical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.527
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 2078-5135
pISSN - 0256-9574
DOI - 10.7196/samj.2022.v112i5b.16072
Subject(s) - contact tracing , medicine , covid-19 , pandemic , government (linguistics) , tracing , virology , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , linguistics , philosophy , disease , outbreak , computer science , operating system
In South Africa (SA), the first case of COVID-19 was reported on 5 March 2020 from a traveller who had returned from Italy. Increases in COVID-19 cases and deaths necessitated the design and implementation of community screening, testing, and tracing as a control strategy. The SA government's plans to implement community-based screening, testing, contact tracing and movement modelling during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic presented both opportunities and challenges. In this article, we present our experiences, opportunities and lessons for community-based COVID-19 response, anchoring these efforts in the primary healthcare system.