When the coronavirus reached South Africa, there was initially some confusion around where and when to get tested.

A friend told me a harrowing story about phoning her doctor and being told to come in and wait in the waiting room, despite showing all the symptoms of the virus – high fever, tight chest with a dry cough, aching muscles, and contact with someone who had flown in from Europe.

She protested, not wanting to infect anyone else if she was positive, but the receptionist was insistent that there was nothing to worry about.

Her test came back negative, but this story speaks to why stringent measures had to be put in place to ensure that the infected were tested with minimal risk to others.

Busy waiting rooms and overworked medical staff are also a concern, which is why the rest of the country could learn a thing or two from Johannesburg.

News24 reports that since March 26, HealthInsite and Mullah Labs have partnered up to run a drive-thru testing station at the Wanderers Stadium.

The mobile testing station intends to operate throughout the nationwide shutdown, in order to improve access and reduce the risk and spread of infection, while contributing to “flattening the curve”.

To ensure that there are enough tests to go around, those who show up at the testing station have to meet certain criteria before they’re tested. All prospective patients go through something similar to triage at the first stop, before moving on to receive a nasopharyngeal test or nasal swab.

Take a look:

Another video with some additional info:

It’s a genius solution that ensures that as many infected people as possible have an easy way to get tested, and then quarantined or hospitalised if their test comes back positive.

HealthInsite plans to launch testing sites in Cape Town and Durban in the coming weeks.

Let’s flatten that curve.

[source:news24]