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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.

Original publication

DOI

10.7196/samj.2022.v112i5b.16072

Type

Journal article

Journal

South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde

Publication Date

05/2022

Volume

112

Pages

366 - 370

Addresses

South African National Department of Health, Pretoria, South Africa.

Keywords

Humans, Contact Tracing, South Africa, Pandemics, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2