FREE COVID-19 TESTS IN JOHANNESBURG CLINICS

The City of Johannesburg has set up 22 testing and screening facilities spread out in all of its 7 regions. KAE residents can visit the nearest clinic which is Bophelong Clinic in Ivory Park for free COVID-19 testing.

KAE falls under Region A. Clinics which have been identified in Region A are Bophelong Clinic, Halfway House Clinic and Diepsloot Clinic. The City of Joburg has availed a minimum of two clinics in each of its seven regions to screen patients for Covid-19 in case of a wider outbreak.

Johannesburg is the epicenter of the novel coronavirus with a quarter of the national confirmed cases being in the city. The municipality has also established a 24-hour Joint Operations Disaster Management Centre (JODMC) at Metro Centre to assist local residents with any emergencies during the country’s national state of disaster.

Niel Rooi, the centre’s spokesperson says it aims to relieve pressure from facilities run by the provincial and national governments in the next three weeks. “We are also training our healthcare workers on Covid-19 to assist residents with education and contact tracing, focusing on high density and high risk areas. According to our statistics, Joburg is the epicentre of the virus, so we need to work really hard,” Rooi explains.

Further to response measures, Mayor Makhubo said the City had identified buildings to be used as isolation and quarantine centres. “These buildings are currently being assessed by healthcare professionals to see if they are suitable.”

According to Health authorities, people may acquire the Covid-19 virus within 14 days of acquired infection. Most common indicators of Covid -19 are fever, tiredness and a dry cough.