Tag: South Africa

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Add Resources - Scaling Up & Sustainability

Monitored Implementation of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Screening at Taxi Ranks in Johannesburg, South Africa

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of many innovations, including digital solutions to support access to diagnostics. These digital tools can be used by countries to expand support community-based testing and lessen the need to travel distances to clinical settings by moving testing meet patients where they are. 

This operational research study examines the utility of rapid diagnostics tests (RDTs) for COVID-19 detection in combination with an end-to-end digital health solution.This study took place between June and September 2021 at three local taxi ranks  in Johannesburg, South Africa. Over 15,000 members of the public were screened for COVID-19 risk factors via a digital questionnaire. Overall, the usage of the digital tool combined with RDTs were shown to improve decentralized service delivery, results reporting, and follow-up of COVID-19 testing at the community level. 

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Resource Centre - Media & Press

You’re Part of Something Bigger”: Delivering Lifesaving COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests in South Africa

Health Poverty Action Visiting Hospitals at Kompong Chhnang & Battambong Province

Getting tests into hands: delivering rapid diagnostic tests to South Africa

In June 2021, a large shipment of COVID-19 diagnostic tests procured by the Global Fund through their Pooled Procurement Mechanism arrived in South Africa.

Part of the order was 648 000 rapid antigen tests that produced results within 15 minutes for community health workers and medical personnel working on the front lines.

At the time, the country saw a rapid rise in infections caused by the Delta variant. The rollout of vaccines to the general public only started in July that year, with the elderly getting priority access.

All hands on deck
Logistics personnel interviewed by the Global Fund reported early-morning queues on average 100 metres long at testing sites, as people tried to access possible diagnoses in response to the new infection wave.

The test kits delivered in South Africa were manufactured in South Korea, flown via Ethiopia to a warehouse in Johannesburg, and sorted and distributed throughout the country. 

The supply chain also faced several problems, including a shortage of shipping containers, resulting in delays in deliveries of essential products, such as personal protective equipment. Logistics personnel also feared theft and hijacking.

By 1 July 2021, the Global Fund has procured 21.5 million diagnostic tests worldwide.

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Resource Centre - Publications

Rapid epidemic expansion of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in southern Africa

Health Poverty Action Visiting Hospitals at Kompong Chhnang & Battambong Province

The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in southern Africa has been characterized by three distinct waves. The first was associated with a mix of SARS-CoV-2 lineages, while the second and third waves were driven by the Beta (B.1.351) and Delta (B.1.617.2) variants, respectively1,2,3. In November 2021, genomic surveillance teams in South Africa and Botswana detected a new SARS-CoV-2 variant associated with a rapid resurgence of infections in Gauteng province, South Africa. Within three days of the first genome being uploaded, it was designated a variant of concern (Omicron, B.1.1.529) by the World Health Organization and, within three weeks, had been identified in 87 countries. The Omicron variant is exceptional for carrying over 30 mutations in the spike glycoprotein, which are predicted to influence antibody neutralization and spike function4. Here we describe the genomic profile and early transmission dynamics of Omicron, highlighting the rapid spread in regions with high levels of population immunity.

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Resource Centre - Publications

Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron lineages BA.4 and BA.5 in South Africa

Three lineages (BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant of concern predominantly drove South Africa’s fourth Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) wave. We have now identified two new lineages, BA.4 and BA.5, responsible for a fifth wave of infections. The spike proteins of BA.4 and BA.5 are identical, and similar to BA.2 except for the addition of 69–70 deletion (present in the Alpha variant and the BA.1 lineage), L452R (present in the Delta variant), F486V and the wild-type amino acid at Q493. The two lineages differ only outside of the spike region. The 69–70 deletion in spike allows these lineages to be identified by the proxy marker of S-gene target failure, on the background of variants not possessing this feature. BA.4 and BA.5 have rapidly replaced BA.2, reaching more than 50% of sequenced cases in South Africa by the first week of April 2022. Using a multinomial logistic regression model, we estimated growth advantages for BA.4 and BA.5 of 0.08 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.08–0.09) and 0.10 (95% CI: 0.09–0.11) per day, respectively, over BA.2 in South Africa. The continued discovery of genetically diverse Omicron lineages points to the hypothesis that a discrete reservoir, such as human chronic infections and/or animal hosts, is potentially contributing to further evolution and dispersal of the virus.

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Resource Centre - Publications

The Impact of COVID-19 On HIV, TB And Malaria Services and Systems For Health: A Snapshot from 502 Health Facilities across Africa and Asia

The impact of COVID-19 on HIV, TB and Malaria Services and Systems for Health: A snapshot from 502 health facilities across Africa and Asia.

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