Test-Trace strategy for disease control and management: South Africa’s control measures to contain the spread of COVID-19

Abstract

This chapter provides a critical examination of South Africa’s COVID-19 testing and contact tracing response, including emerging successes and weaknesses. Lessons emerging from South Africa’s COVID-19 testing and contact tracing strategy highlight the importance of rapid roll-out of community screening and testing across the country, robust implementation of public health measures, and leveraging existing healthcare services such as the deployment of existing Community Health Workers. The absence of a standardised national information system to support contact tracing efforts, long turnaround times and backlogs in testing, and low uptake of digital solutions such as the COVIDConnect and COVID Alert Apps, were noted as some of the challenges of the process. New considerations to take into account in planning for any future outbreaks include ways to enhance intersectoral approaches and integrate with other community surveillance systems, how to rationalise health workforce redistribution during surge periods by prioritising cases, and the use of technology solutions to manage data.