Backlog of 1000s in Covid testing
National Health Minister Zweli Mkhize last week said a total of 96 480 specimens were unprocessed in the country as on 25 May. The backlog in Covid-19 testing is due to a worldwide shortage of reagents, chemicals needed in the testing process.
The backlog had increased from 49 550 unprocessed on 9 May to 58 930 on 14 May and 101 007 on 21 May. Mkhize said the number of tests conducted compared with the specimens collected, fluctuates daily. "We engage with reagent suppliers all over the world and have issued licenses through Sahpra (South African Health Products Regulatory Authority) as part of mitigating this capacity challenge."
Priority is given to processing specimens from patients who are admitted to hospital and health care workers, said Mkhize.
Concern over delay in test results
The Western Cape Health Department has also been prioritising certain tests, leading to a backlog of 18 000 tests at one stage last week. There has been an increase of 400% in the number of tests conducted in the province since 25 April. Premier Alan Winde has expressed concern over the effect of the delay in receiving results and said prioritising tests is the most efficient way of managing the curve.
On Monday 1 June, 17 617 tests had been conducted in the previous 24 hours. Mostly, about half of tests are done by the NHLS labs and half by the private sector.
The number of tests increased steadily from the beginning of May when 10 000 tests were conducted per day. By mid-May, this has increased to 20 000. The figures fluctuate and in some instances there has been a drop of as many as 7 000 tests in a day.
The National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) has placed orders with suppliers to meet their testing capacity of 36 000 tests per day. "However, we are only receiving limited quantities. We continue to engage for PCR machines, but the limiting factor is the extraction kits."